Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-09-21
EPIDEMIC TYPES.

jects elsewhere than in the medical
journals is generally inexpedient,
but the public mind is at this time
so intensely excited on the subject
of the prevailing epidemic, the de-
demand for information about it is
so eXacting that we are scarcely
able to avoid it. We are going
to enter upon no controversy in the
present paper, we propose to
ventilate no method of healing
yellow fever, or to prescribe any
precise limits for its prevalence;
but we wish to discuss a subject the
knowledge of which may have
some influence in allaying ground
less alarms. Ignorance is the
mother of terror. Those who know
nothing of the laws of eclipses
and comets are filled with super
stitious dread when one or the other
appears, and even those visitations
which are really terrible loose part
of their terrOrs when something
like law can be observed in the
mode of their invasion.
We propose now to call attention
to curious phenomenon regarding
both the present and other epidem-
les which may be thus stated.
When any epidemic is extensively
prevalent there is always observed
outside of the area of its prevalence
a tendency in the local diseases to
assume a type more or less conform
ing to the symptoms of the epidem-
ic disease. Lest this should be
found unintelligible to nOn-profes-
siOnal readers, we will illustrate it
with an occurrence within the
memory of all. 1t is not many
years since Nashville, Louisville
| and Erin were visited with a ter
rible epidemic cholera, and all three
places lost a large per centage of
their population. During that visi-
tatiOn GAINESVILLE enjoyed a happy
exemption from the scourge which
was depopulating her neighbOrs,
not above three or four cases having
occurred, which any one under any
circumstances would have pro-
nOunced Asiatic cholera. But during
the same period there was scarcely
a person in the city who did not
suffer more or less from disorder OF
the bowels easily treated and in no
case fatal. Now in reference tothe
present epidemic, before ever the
disease was well established in Mem
phis, the physicians noticed that the
regular malarial fevers, with which
we are all familiar, assumed an un-
usual type. The regular succession
of chills, fever and intermissiOn was
lost, and after a single chill the
fever lasted with barely perceptible
remission Tor three or four days
and was followed with great pros
tration, all this being attended with
disposition to vomit, and other
symptoms not necessary to describe
here, all which conforms so far as il
goes with the ordinary course o.
yellow fever. What may be the
cause of this phenomenon we dc moi
stop to enquire nor should we hope
for a decisive answer if we did
But we desire to set aside a source
of alarm which would arise from
the phenomenon through people
installing fever Of an unusual type
for yellow fever; a mistake t.
which medical men are liable a:
well as others.
Speculation might busy itsel
: with the QUESTION which out of tive
alternatives is the correct one. j
this epidemic type caused by the
proximity of yellow fever, or is i
; determined by causes Independent
of that proximity, and does tine
spread of the epidemic itself, from
those regions in which its presence
is perpetual, depend upon the eX
sstence of local type analogous Il
it in character, and therefore favor
able to its spreading? This is ,
question for pathologist5 to invest
gate who are still ignorant of the
fundamental laws of epidemics
with whatever confidence they may
promulgate their opinions but tht
F matter has its practical bearing, boil
for professional and nOn-profession
al people, in cautioning them no
to give way to panic because a cast
of fever may occur among then
presenting many of the features o
the prevailing epidemic.