The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-09-21
Yellow Fever.

}. The question Is asked daily, what is the vel
low fever; how does 1t differ from other f.
vers? Is 1t epidemic or contagious? We can
not answer these questions better than by
quoting an interesting i'aper by DR. ii"combe,
an eminent homeopathic physician ot New
Orleans.
"Icllow fever presents wide range Of man.
iicStaiOnS from an cphcmcral mildncSS to the
most malignant severity. The impending at
tack is sometime, iOrcshadOWCd tor a few
hours by ianguOr, rcstlc>snc~S and malai>r,
Most commonly Il chill comes ON without any
lprcmOnitiOn. Sometimes heat shiverings,
headache and nausea are contuscdly mingled
! in the onset. When the tcbric action Is com
Iplcrc, the pain in the head, back and limbs l.
Exceedingly severe The skin j. hot and dry,
the pulse full and hard. from 100 to 100; urine
scanty and high ColOred; eyes elected, watcry
and brilliant: tOAguC covered with Il pasty.
white coat, with red edges. THIS paroXysm,
scarcely dIstinguishablc from the ucipicnt
stage Of bilious rcmittent lasts from twelve 10
! thirty-SiX hours, terminating in u general or
partial perspiration, with great diminutlon of
the symptoms. This remission Is the rule but
the exceptions are numerous In Il few hours
the patient declares himself worse, and another
train of symptoms arises. The pain in the
head, back and limbs, is not so poignant, ire
qucntly is entirely absent, and more frequent
The iebrile rrltarion is rather typhoid than
Sthcnic. DiarrhTa may accompany this stage,
but constipation is more common. Burning
in the pit of the stomach, acid and aCrid cruC.
tatiOns, atulcnCc thirst nausea, ali combine
to produce Il remarkable sense OF prOstratlOn
and great degree of tossing and slceplcssncss.
The skin and coniunCtiva assume lemon
hue, which dccpcns IN a deep orange color, al
thong this symptom is by no means universal.
The urine Is of Il saffron color and stains linen.
Sometimes there Is Strangury, and in bad cases
the urine is suppressed. llcmorrhage from
the gums and tcnuS is now common. NOmlt-
ing becomes distressing and is an alarming
symptom. The matters elected pass from II
greenish-ycllow into a brownish hue; SOME
times blOod-rcd or brown is thrown up. The
appearance OF battle-ground WON'T leaves but
Il ray Of hope. If the disease is not arrested,
then the temperature of the skin falls, the
hcmorrage becomes more protuSc or Ominous, |
the circulation fails, coma supcrvcneS, and dis |
solution is occasionally preceded by convul- |
siOns.
The patients seem generally to- De worse on
the first, third and fifth days. Death appeared |
to be more common on the SIXTH but some few
died on the third day and many fingered Il
week"
There Is no doubt that this fever may be
sporadic, the conditions on the coast Of the
gulf and rivers in the south being favorable |
for its developments still there is no doubt
when once developed that it is more or less |
contagious, and produces the fearful epidemic, |
from which people IN those districts suffer |
DR.. Bachr, his Science of Therapeutics" says
THAT this is a specific fever owing its exist
cnce to specific contagium by which it is |
propagated, and which may adhere to such TO
mites is woolens, feather, cotton, letters etc,
is not only no more doubted, but is fact cs-
tablishcd beyond Il shadow OF doubt by the
Lisbon epidemic in 1881, and by the lmporta-
ton of the disease from Havana into the port
of st. Nazarc by the Anne Mace in 1861
Dr. IIolCombc cites many facts to prove
that yellow fever is contagious. He says: In
several cases which came under my observa-
ton the families were carefully isolated, with
the exception of one messenger, who was al
lowed to visit the town on necessary business, |
and uniformity that messenger was first at
tackled
In former epldemlcs the reports have proven
decided results in favor of homeopathic prac-
ticc DR. lIolcOmb treated one hundred and |
forty cases between August and December, |
1853 At least One.half of the cases were very |
severe the patients for several days being in
critical situation. OF these cases only nine
died DR. Davis, the pioneer Of homeopathy
in that region, treated four hundred and fifteen
cases, with only twenty four deaths There is
no doubt that rational and hygenic treatment
would do very much toward making the prog
nOstiCs of this fearful disease more favorable. |