A Succinct Account of the Plague at Marseilles by Francois Chicoyneau (best romantic novels in english .txt) 📕

The Solar Powder of Hamburgh, the Mineral Kermes, and other Remedies that have been communicated to us with great Commendations, have been also used, both as Emeticks and Catharticks; and have sometimes with success, answered both those Indications: And at the same time, in some certain Cases, we observed they promoted Sweat and Perspiration; but as we have already remarked, they have always seemed to us insufficient to perform the Work of a radical Cure, in a Distemper characterised by divers essential Symptoms.

For what relates to Sudorificks, as soon as we perceive the least Disposition to a free Transpiration or Sweating, in what time soever of the Sickness it happens, we have taken care to make use of them, and that the rather, by reason some infected Persons have escaped by this Method: Nor are we ignorant how this sort of Crisis is recommended as very Salutary by all the Authors that have wrote of the Plague: We have had therefore Recourse to some of the Cordials mentioned above, and particularly the Venice Treacle and Diascordium; to which may be added the Powder of Vipers, Diaphoretick Antimony, Oriental Saffron, Camphire, &c. promoting the Effect of these Medicines by the repeated Draughts of Tea, the vulnerary Infusions of Switzerland, the Waters of Scabious, Carduus Benedictus, Juniper Berries, of Scordium, Rue, Angelica, and others, recommended for pushing from the Center to the Circumference; that is to say, to depurate the Mass of Humours by the way of insensible Perspiration without too much Emotion; observing always, that the Patients are not of a too dry and hot Constitution, or that in forwarding too much this Sort of Crisis, they do not fall into some fatal Weakness.

The great Heats and intolerable Thirst are allayed by a plentiful and repeated drinking of Water, wherein Bread has been macerated, Ptisan of Barley, of Rice, Chicken-Broth, dissolving therein Sal Prunel, or purified Nitre, mixing by intervals a few Drops of Spirit of Sulphur, or of Nitre dulcified, or of Vitriol; as also the Confections of Alkermes, Syrup of Lemons, de Ovo, or any other gentle Cordial, to prevent an Over-charge and Relaxation.

All these Remedies properly made use of, and managed with Prudence, are sufficient to satisfy the divers Indications of this second Class, provided the terrible Prejudice of the Impossibility of a Cure, the Consternation, and the Despair, do not suspend their Action: And we could, if the Time would permit, give several Instances of such, as being supported by their Hopes, Courage, and Firmness, have experienced the good and wholsome Effects thereof: So that Nature being thereby strengthened, comforted, and freed in part, of the noxious Ferment that oppressed her; and above all, being delivered from the Danger of the internal Inflammations, by the means of the external Eruptions, I mean the Carbuncles, Buboes, Parotides, &c. there remains nothing to be done, but to treat methodically these sorts of Tumours, to which we have particularly applied our selves from the beginning of the Distemper to the end; and that with the greater Diligence, by reason, as we have already remarked, the Destiny of the Patient depended almost always on the Success of these sorts of Eruptions, the manner of treating which, we shall give by and by, according their several Varieties.

It would be altogether needless to enter into the particulars of the Method we used in treating the Patients of this third Class, since the Symptoms they were attack’d with, were the same with those which we have mention’d in the two preceeding Classes; so that they succeeded mutually each other, and the Symptoms related in the second Class, were the Forerunners of those described in the first; whence it is easy to judge that we have here nothing to do but to use successively the Medicines mentioned before. The Observation that we thought fit to insert between the third and fourth Class, and in which it is shown, that several infected Persons perished in a very short Time with Symptoms very moderate, or much less violent than what we generally observe the same Symptoms to be in malignant or common putrid Fevers. This Observation, I say, may instruct us, that this Sort of infected Persons in whom often there only appear a small Weakness, and a very great Consternation, demands as much Care as those in whom the Symptoms are more considerable, and on the least Appearance of their being seized, there ought immediately to be used, besides generous Remedies, every Thing that is proper to sustain their Strength and encourage them.

We have nothing here to do, but to cast our Eyes back, on what we have said above, relating to the Accidents that characterise and terminate the Plague, in order to judge that this Method should principally turn on the Manner of treating the Buboes or Carbuncles. The Symptoms, it is true, that appear at the Beginning in the Diseased of this Class, are nearly the same with those that show themselves in the sick Persons of the second Class; so we immediately employ’d the Remedies proper to oppose them, such as are the gentle Emeticks, the diluting Catharticks and Sudorificks of the same sort, according to the Indications that arise, observing however a very exact Regimen. But the Destiny of the Infected, depending principally, as we have remarked already, on the large Emption, and laudable Suppuration of the Buboes and Carbuncles, these Sorts of Tumours have been always the Objects of our chief Care and Attention. And since these Tumours have constantly appeared in the Sick of this fourth Class, and in those of the preceeding, the Method which we are going to propose for their Management, ought to be consider’d, as common to all the Classes.

These Tumours were ordinarily situated in the Groin, and often below it, chiefly swelling the lymphatick Glands, placed near the crural Vessels; they appeared also pretty frequently under the Arm-pits, particularly under the pectoral Muscle, as also in the Glands behind and below the Ears, in the Jugular, and under the Chin.

The Buboes with which the Sick of the former Classes were attack’d, often appeared at the Beginning of the Distemper, chiefly in the Groin and Arm-pits, small at first, deep and exceeding painful, that one could scarce touch or handle them, without causing a very uneasy Sensation; these for the most Part made no other Alteration in the Skin, but by swelling it, as they grew bigger, towards the End they became indolent.

In what Time soever of the Distemper these Sorts of Tumours appeared, we attacked them without any Delay, unless there was Reason to presume from other Symptoms that the sick Person was at the Point of Death.

If the Tumour was small, deep, painful, and one had Time to endeavour to mollify it, we began with the Application of emollient and anodyne Cataplasms, and as the Misery and Desertion would not suffer us to have Recourse to choice Drogues, we prepared on the Spot, and applied warm, a Sort of Pultice composed of Crums of Bread, common Water, Oil of Olives, Yolk of an Egg, or a large Onion roasted in the Ashes, which we first hollowed, and filled with Treacle, Soap, Oil of Scorpions or of Olives; using moreover, for Persons of Condition, Cataplasms made with Milk, the Crummy Part of Bread, Yolks of Eggs; or with the Mucilage of emollient Herbs and Roots.

But as the Diseased of the first Classes perish often very suddenly, even at the Time when we apprehend such an Accident the least, we think it not adviseable in this Case to prescribe such Sort of Applications; but we ought immediately to prevent the last Danger, by endeavouring at the opening of the Tumour, and to that End we caused to be applied without Delay, all over the Part a Dressing with the caustick Stone, leaving it there for some Hours, more or less, according to the Depth, Situation, Bulk of the Parts, and the Constitution fat or lean of the Patient; the Escarr being made, it must be opened by Incision, without any Delay, in order to examine the tumified Glands, to dissolve which, there ought to be apply’d Digestives, after they have been a little scarified; or they should be extirpated if they are moveable, and can be removed without an Hemorrhage, which according to our Observations has been always fatal tho’ but moderate. And for this Reason we have thought fit to reject the Method of extirpating these Tumours, which was made use of before we came to this City. The Way of opening them immediately by a Lancet, altho’ more ready than that by Cauteries, appears to us in many Cases insufficient, and less sure, as giving but little Light to view the Part, and leaving very often after it, Abscesses, Fistula’s or Scirrhous Tumours. As to Cupping, Glasses and Blisters, their Effects seem to us slow, useless, and that of the Latter sometimes dangerous; in certain Subjects their Application has been followed by internal Inflamations, especially in the Bladder.

Returning then to our Caustick Stone, the Escarr being formed, and the Incisions made with the Precaution of discovering the tumified Glands, in their whole extent, that no bad Reliques be left behind; the next Thing is to dissolve the Glands by the means of good Digestives, which may be made of equal Parts of Balsom of Arcæus, Ointment of Marsh-Mallows, of Basilicon, adding thereto Turpentine and Oil of St. John’s Wort, which ought to be well mixed, and if there is any remarkable Corruption in the Part, there ought to be joyned with the Turpentine and Oil of St. John’s Wort, the Tinctures of Myrrh, of Aloes, Spirit of Wine camphorated and Sal Armoniack; lastly deterging and cleansing away the Pus and Sanies, whilst it is thick and too corrosive, with Lotions made of Barley Water, Honey of Roses, Camphire; or with vulneraine Decoctions of Scordium, Wormwood, Centaury the less, and Birthwort. And when the Ulcer has been well deterged, and the tumified Glands entirely consumed by Suppuration, there remains nothing but to apply a simple Plaister to bring the Wound to a Cicatrice.

We shall now give in few Words, the Method we used in the Cure of Carbuncles, which in many Circumstances have a near Relation to the preceeding.

We have observed these sort of Tumours during the whole Course of the Sickness, in a very great number of diseased Persons in all the Classes, though less frequent than the Buboes; remarking also very often in the same Subjects, these two sorts of Emptions.

The Carbuncles present themselves in different Places on the Surface of the Body, especially in the Thighs, Legs, Arms, Breast, Back, but very rarely in the Face, Neck, or Belly.

They appear at first under the Form of a Pustle or Tumour, which is whitish, yellowish, or reddish, Pale