The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1878-10-05
Yellow Fever.

A letter from the South gives the fol-
lowing description of the course Of the
disease, from the time the first symptoms
are observed
The fever usually begins suddenly Tin
the most part during the night or early
morning), with sense of chilliness, fol-
lowed by heat, pain in the back, head
and limbs, the pain beng sometimes
very severe. The stomach grows sensi-
tive; nausea is excited, and vomiting
comes on, either spontaneously or from
something that has been eaten. The
skin is dry and hot; thirst is excessive;
the eyeballs are painful, esuffused, and
the eyes have the expression seen in
drunkenness. The tongue is coated, and
its edges red; the face has peculiar
flush about an inch above and be-
low the eyes. The upper part of the
abdomen is tender there is burning,
with feeling of weight and oppression
in the pit of the stomach. Anxiety and
restlessness are marked traits of the
disease terror is often expressed in the
face of the sufferer, and sometimes
gloomy threatening; the expression be
ing SO striking and peculiar that, once
seen, it is apt to be remembered. These
are the first symptoms which last from
four to seventy hours, the average being
thirty-six to forty-eight
The second stage is a diminution of
the unfavorable signs; the skin growing
moister, the pain less, the pulse ca1mer,
the countenance more natural. But the
yellowness of the skin, which begins on
the eyelid, extends over the face and
deepens in hue If, however, it has not
appeared before, it does not appear now.
This stage generally continues from
twelve to eighteen hours, though it may
be prolonged to double the time. Some
times it is not marked at all, and occa-
sionally it is altogether absent.
The third stage is characterized by
prostration; the pulse grows weaker;
the skin yellowish irritability of the
stomach and vomiting increase. This is
often mcessant; at first, perhaps color
less, ropy, acid liquor; but now, when
the fever is malignant, it begins to show
dark flakes, becoming darker and more
numerous, until the liquor resembles
SCOT or coffee grounds and water This
is the black vomit, which is, in nearly
every case, the forerunner Of death.
The quantity is frequently very great,
and elected with little effort. Sometimes
diarrhea now occurs the weakness in
creases; the pulse gets very feeble; the
breathing labored and irregular; the
tongue black and tremulous; the skin is
cold and clammy, and the patient NUT
tering in delirium, passes away. The
body turns saffron or orange color, and
often brown like mahogany or bronze,
presenting an unsightly appearance, and
needing to be speedily buried
In mild cases the symptoms are very
different, the heat and thirst being
trifing; the vomiting slight, and the pa
tients frequently not keeping their beds.
Then, again, there are apparently mild
cases, the patients scarcely acknowledge
ing they are i'll, refusing to lie down or
be prescribed for, and yet sinking sud-
denly into DEATH The fever varies in
duration. Very bad cases terminate in
a few days, though commonly continu-
ing from three to nine days, GONZALES
cence being almost always slow. Path
ology has not done much, even to this
day, to increase our knowledge of the
disease, which still remains enigmatical
and SO changeable at different times and
places, and under different conditions, as
to brave medical learning and practice.
One thing seems certain cold kills yell
low fever, which never survives the first
frost