The Plague at Marseilles Consider'd by Richard Bradley (online e book reader TXT) 📕

align="right">27   625   508 Novemb. 3   737   594   10   545   442   17   384   251   24   198   105 Decemb. 1   223   102   8   163   55   15   200   96   22   168   74           ——— The Total this Year is,       37294 Whereof of the Plague,       30561

 

Buried of all Diseases in the Year 1625.

      Total   Pla. March 17   262   4   24   226   8   31   243   11 April 7   239   10   14   256   24   21   230   25   28   305   26 May 5   292   30   12   232   45   19   379   71   26   401   78 June 2   395   69   9   434   91   16   510   161   23   640   239   30   942   390 July 7   1222   593   14   1781   1004   21   2850   1819   28   3583   2471 August 4   4517   3659   11   4855   4115   18   5205   4463   25   4841   4218 September 1   3897   3344   8   3157   2550   15   2148   1612   22   1994   1551   29   1236   852 October 6   833   538   13   815   511   20   651   331   27   375   134 November 3   357   89   10   319   92   17   274   48   24   231   27 December 1   190   15   8   181   15   15   168   6   22   157   1           ——— The Total this Year is,       51758 Whereof of the Plague,       35403

 

Buried of all Diseases in the Year 1630.

      Total   Pla. June 24   205   19 July 1   209   25   8   217   43   15   250   50   22   229   40   29   279   77 August 5   250   56   12   246   65   19   269   54   26   270   67 September 2   230   66   9   259   63   16   264   68   23   274   57   30   269   56 October 7   236   66   14   261   73   21   248   60   28   214   34 November 4   242   29   11   215   29   18   200   18   25   226   7 December 2   221   20   9   198   19   16   212   5   Buried in the 97 Parishes within the Walls, 2696 Whereof of the Plague, 190   Buried in the 16 Parishes without the Walls, 4813 Whereof of the Plague, 603   Buried in the 9 Out-Parishes in Middlesex and
Surrey and at the Pest-house, 3045 Whereof of the Plague, 524   Buried in Westminster, 566 Whereof of the Plague, 31   ——— The Total of all the Burials this time, 10545 Whereof of the Plague, 1317

 

Buried of all Diseases in the Year 1636.

      Total   Pla. April 7   119   2   14   205   4 This Week
these Parishes
were added:
St. Margaret
Westminster,
Lambeth Parish,
St. Mary
Newington,
Redriff Parish,
St. Mary
Islington,
Stepney and
Hackney
Parishes.   21   285   14   28   259   17 May 5   251   10   12   308   55   19   299   35   26   330   62 June 2   339   77   9   345   87   16   381   103   23   304   179   30   352   104 July 7   215   81   14   372   104   21   365   120   28   423   151 August 4   491   206   11   538   283   18   638   321   25   787   429 Septemb. 1   10_1   638   8   1069   650   15   1306   865   22   1229   775   29   1403   928 October 6   1405   921   13   1302   792   20   1002   555   27   900   458 November 3   1300   838   10   1104   715   17   950   573   24   857   476 December 1   614   321   8   459   167   15   385   85           ——— The Total of the Burials this Year, is     23359 Whereof of the Plague,     10400

 

Buried of all Diseases in the Year 1664/5.

      Total   Pla. Decemb. 27   291 January 3   349   10   394   17   415   24   474   31   409 February 7   393   14   461   1   21   393   28   396 March 7   441   14   433   21   365   28   353 April 4   344   11   382   18   344   25   390   2 May 2   388   9   347   9   16   353   3   23   385   14   30   399   17 June 6   405   43   13   558   112   20   611   168   27   684   267 July 4   1006   470   11   1268   725   18   1761   1089   25   2785   1845 August 1   3014   2010   8   4030   2817   15   5319   3880   22   5568   4227   29   7496   6102 September 5   8252   6978   12   7690   6544   19   8297   7165   26   6460   5533 October 3   10   17   24   31 November 7   14

We may observe from hence, that the Months July, August, September, and October, the Plague was at the greatest height, and even in those Months, all other Distempers had greater Power over Human Bodies than in the others. When I consider this, I cannot help taking Notice, that in those Months we have our chief Fruit Seasons, and when it happens that there has been a Blight in the Spring, or the Summer has not given our Fruit due Maturity, I suppose that the Habit of the Body is so disposed as to receive Infection more readily, than in Years that either afford us little, or else very Ripe Fruit.

Again, in those warm Months, I find that we have vast Varieties of the smaller kinds of Insects floating in the Air, and it is a thing constant, that every Insect from the greatest to the smallest has its proper Nidus to hatch and perfect it self in, and is led thither by certain Effluvia which arise from that Body which is in a right State for the preservation of it. In the Blight of Trees we find, such Insects as are appointed to destroy a Cherry Tree, will not injure a Tree of another Kind, and again, unless the Leaves of some Trees are bruised by Hail, or otherwise Distemper’d, no Insect will invade them; so in Animals it may be, that by ill Diet the Habit of their Body may be so altered, that their very Breath may entice those poisonous Insects to follow their way, ’till they can lodge themselves in the Stomach of the Animal, and thereby occasion Death. We may likewise suppose that where these Insects have met with their appointed Nests, they will certainly lay their Eggs there, which the Breath of the diseased Person will fling out in Parcels, as he has occasion to Respire; so that the Infection may be communicated to a stander-by, or else, through their extraordinary smallness, may be convey’d by the Air to some Distance.

It is observable, that all Insects are so much quicker in passing through their several Stages to the state of Perfection, as they are smaller, and the smallest of them are more numerous in their Increase than the others.

Two Years ago when the Plague was at Amiens, I pass’d by that Place, and then found the Contagion began to abate (’twas then about October, and the Rains began to fall) the People told me they were advised to eat Garlick every Morning to guard their Stomachs against Infection; but whether it was the Garlick, or the sudden alteration of the Season that was the occasion of the decrease of that Distemper, we shall examine in another Place; but we may Note, That all the Ground about that City is a Morass, so that there is no coming near it but by the Roads which are Paved and mark’d out. This Marsh or Morass, as all others do in the Summer Season, produce vast Numbers of Insects which are accounted unwholsome: But as some are of Opinion, it is rather a Noxious Vapour which occasions this Infectious Distemper, I shall mention my Opinion of such Vapours before I conclude.

 

In the Philosophical Transactions, No 8. we have the following Observations of Insects which are the Destroyers of Plants.

Some Years since there was such a swarm of a certain sort of Insect in New-England, that for the space of 200 Miles they poisoned and destroyed all the Trees of the Country; there being found innumerable little Holes in the Ground, out of which those Insects broke forth in the Form of Maggots, which turn’d into Flies that had a kind of Sting, which they stuck into the Tree, and thereby envenom’d and killed it.

The like Plague is said to happen frequently in the Country of the Cossacks or Ukrani, where, in dry Summers, they are infested with swarms of Locusts, driven thither by an East, or South-East Wind, that they darken the Air in the fairest Weather, and devour all the Corn of that Country, laying their Eggs in Autumn, and then dying; but the Eggs, of which every one layeth two or three Hundred, hatching the next Spring, produce again such a number of Locusts, that then they do far more mischief than before, unless Rains fall which kill both Eggs and Insects, or unless a strong North or North-West Wind arise, which drives them into the Euxine Sea: And it is very natural to suppose, that if the Winds have this Power over the larger sort of Insects; i. e. of moving them from one Country to another, the smaller kinds, which are lighter than the Air it self, may be interceptibly Convey’d as far as the Winds can reach.

 

Dr. Wincler, Chief Physician of the Prince Palatine, gives us the following Account of the Murrain in Switzerland, and the Method of its Cure, in a Letter to Dr. Slare, F. R. S. Anno 1682.

On the Borders of Italy a Murrain infested the Cattle which spread farther into Switzerland, the Territories of Wirtemburg, and over other Provinces, and made great destruction among them. The Contagion seem’d to propagate it self in the form of a Blue Mist, that fell upon those Pastures where the Cattle Grazed, insomuch that Herds have returned home Sick, being very dull, forbearing their Food, most of them would die away in twenty four Hours. Upon dissections were discovered large and corrupted Spleens, sphacelous and corroded Tongues, some had Angina Maligna’s. Those Persons that carelesly managed their Cattle without a due respect to their own Health, were themselves Infected and Died away like their Beasts.

Having had timely Notice of this Lues from our Neighbours, we made such Provision against the invading Disease, that very few of those who were infected by the Murrain died. Some impute this Contagion to the Witchcraft of three Capuchins in Switzerland. But the more learned believe it to proceed from some noxious Exhalations thrown out of the Earth by three distinct Earthquakes perceived here and in our Neighbourhood in the Space of one Year.

 

The Method of Cure for the Cattle.

As soon as ever there was any suspicion of the Contagion upon any one of the Herd, the Tongue of that Beast was carefully examined, and in case they found any Aptha or Blisters whether White, Yellow, or Black, then they were obliged to rub, and scratch the Tongue with a Silver Instrument (being about the breadth and thickness of a Six-pence, but indented on the sides, and having a Hole in the middle whereby it is fastened to a Stick, or Handle,) ’till it Bleed, then they must wipe away the Blood with new unwashen Linnen. This done, a Lotion for the Tongue is used, made of Salt and good Vinegar.

The Antidote for the diseased Cattle is thus described.

Take of Soot, Gun-Powder, Brimstone, Salt, equal Parts, and as much Water as is necessary to wash it down, give a large Spoonful for a Dose.

 

After which we have a further Account of the same Contagion by the same Hand.

——I lately received an Account of two ingenious Travellers, who assured me the Contagion had reached their Quarters on the Borders of Poland, having passed quite through Germany, and that the Method used in our Relation preserved and cured their Cattle. They told me the Contagion was observed to make its Progress Dayly, spreading near two German Miles in twenty four Hours. This they say was certainly observed by many curious Persons, that it continually, without intermission, made progressive Voyages, and suffered no neighbouring Parish to escape; so that it did not at the same time infect Places at great distances. They added, that Cattle secured at Rack and Manger, were equally infected with those in the Field. It were worth the considering, whether this Infection is