The Plague at Marseilles Consider'd by Richard Bradley (find a book to read .txt) 📖
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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 andSurrey 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 Weekthese 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 14We 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
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