登陆注册
4281000000425

第425章

Typhus fever is now a rare disease, and epidemics are quite infrequent. It has long been known under the names of hospital-fever, spotted-fever, jail-fever, camp-fever, and ship-fever, and has been the regular associate of such social disturbances as overcrowding, excesses, famine, and war. For the past eight centuries epidemics of typhus have from time to time been noticed, but invariably can be traced to some social derangement.

Yellow Fever is a disease prevailing endemically in the West Indies and certain sections of what was formerly known as the Spanish Main. Guiteras recognizes three areas of infection:--(1) The focal zone from which the disease is never absent, including Havana, Vera Cruz, Rio, and the other various Spanish-American points.

(2) The perifocal zone, or regions of periodic epidemics, including the ports of the tropical Atlantic and Africa.

(3) The zone of accidental epidemics, between the parallels of 45degrees north and 35 degrees south latitude.

In the seventeenth century Guadaloupe, Dominica, Martinique, and Barbadoes suffered from epidemics of yellow fever. After the first half of the seventeenth century the disease was prevalent all through the West Indies. It first appeared in the United States at the principal ports of Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston, in 1693, and in 1699 it reappeared in Philadelphia and Charleston, and since that time many invasions have occurred, chiefly in the Southern States.

The epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia, so graphically described by Matthew Carey, was, according to Osler, the most serious that has ever prevailed in any city of the Middle States. Although the population of the city was only 40,000, during the months of August, September, October, and November the mortality, as given by Carey, was 4041, of whom 3435 died in the months of September and October. During the following ten years epidemics of a lesser degree occurred along the coast of the United States, and in 1853the disease raged throughout the Southern States, there being a mortality in New Orleans alone of nearly 8000. In the epidemic of 1878 in the Southern States the mortality was nearly 16,000.

South America was invaded for the first time in 1740, and since 1849 the disease has been endemic in Brazil. Peru and the Argentine Republic have also received severe visitations of yellow fever since 1854. In Cuba the disease is epidemic during June, July, and August, and it appears with such certainty that the Revolutionists at the present time count more on the agency of yellow fever in the destruction of the unacclimated Spanish soldiers than on their own efforts.

Leprosy is distinctly a malady of Oriental origin, and existed in prehistoric times in Egypt and Judea. It was supposed to have been brought into Europe by a Roman army commanded by Pompey, after an expedition into Palestine. Leprosy was mentioned by several authors in the Christian era. France was invaded about the second century, and from that time on to the Crusades the disease gradually increased. At this epoch, the number of lepers or ladres becoming so large, they were obliged to confine themselves to certain portions of the country, and they took for their patron St. Lazare, and small hospitals were built and dedicated to this saint. Under Louis VIII 2000 of these hospitals were counted, and later, according to Dupony, there were 19,000in the French kingdom. Various laws and regulations were made to prevent the spread of the contagion. In 1540 it was said that there were as many as 660 lepers in one hospital in Paris.

No mention is made in the Hippocratic writings of elephantiasis graecorum, which was really a type of leprosy, and is now considered synonymous with it. According to Rayer, some writers insist that the affection then existed under the name of the Phoenician disease. Before the time of Celsus, the poet Lucretius first speaks of elephantiasis graecorum, and assigns Egypt as the country where it occurs. Celsus gives the principal characteristics, and adds that the disease is scarcely known in Italy, but is very common in certain other countries. Galen supplies us with several particular but imperfect cases--histories of elephantiasis graecorum, with a view to demonstrate the value of the flesh of the viper, and in another review he adds that the disease is common in Alexandria. Aretaeus has left a very accurate picture of the symptoms of elephantiasis graecorum; and Pliny recapitulates the principal features and tells us that the disease is indigenous in Egypt. The opinion of the contagiousness of elephantiasis graecorum which we find announced in Herodotus and Galen is more strongly insisted upon by Caelius Aurelianus who recommends isolation of those affected.

Paulus aegenita discusses the disease. The Arabian writers have described elephantiasis graecorum under the name of juzam, which their translators have rendered by the word lepra. Later, Hensler, Fernel Pare, Vesalius, Horstius, Forestus, and others have discussed it.

The statistics of leprosy in Europe pale before the numbers affected in the East. The extent of its former ravages is unknown, but it is estimated that at the present day there are over 250,000 lepers in India, and the number in China is possibly beyond computation. According to Morrow, in 1889 in the Sandwich Islands there were 1100 lepers in the settlement at Molokai.

Berger states that there were 100 cases at Key West; and Blanc found 40 cases at New Orleans. Cases of leprosy are not infrequently found among the Chinese on the Pacific coast, and an occasional case is seen in the large cities of this country. At the present day in Europe, where leprosy was once so well known, it is never found except in Norway and the far East.

同类推荐
  • A Mortal Antipathy

    A Mortal Antipathy

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 归愚词

    归愚词

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 赵氏孤儿大报仇

    赵氏孤儿大报仇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 爰园词话

    爰园词话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 夢月軒詩鈔

    夢月軒詩鈔

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 远去的风情

    远去的风情

    本书是知名乡土作家贺享雍的作品。内容选自作者已经出版了的各种乡土文学小说中与民俗风情有关的故事。这些民俗文化,虽然有的已经在生活中消失了,但它毕竟代表着一段历史文化记忆,属于一种非物质文化遗产,至今仍有个别民俗在乡村地区存留。作者熟悉乡间民俗,语言富有乡土气息,可读性强。阅读此书对于了解中国的历史文化有一定价值。
  • 马营村

    马营村

    陈家桥1972年生于安徽六安,1993年毕业于南京某高校,上世纪90年代初开始文学创作。早期写诗,从1994年开始小说创作,至今发表出版小说作品约五百万字,其中长篇小说有《坍塌》《化妆时代》《男虚》《永远爱你》《女疼》《阿P》《南京爱情》《刘行远》《北京爱情》《成都爱情》《1956》《一个女人的五故事》《云南往事》《少年王》《别动》《长安行》《法国女友》等十几部,中短篇小说约一百多篇,有小说集《危险的金鱼》《中如珠宝店》《见爸爸去》《暗香》等。
  • 东方幻想之星龙传

    东方幻想之星龙传

    一个平凡少年死后碰到源界女帝,许愿(其实并没有)到了幻想乡,在哪里他(她)们又会发生什么样的事情呢!(本文日常向多打斗比较少)(加群:689214733)(这个跟原幻想乡人物性格有些不一样别较真)ps:还有收藏哦~ps:给点推荐票!
  • 白救度佛母赞

    白救度佛母赞

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 民国奇案之红楼凶宅

    民国奇案之红楼凶宅

    本书为《民国奇案》系列第二部,第一部《鬼市人头》,第二部《红楼凶宅》均根据真实历史谜案创作。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 男神强势追妻:萌宠请入局

    男神强势追妻:萌宠请入局

    “生活不易,全靠演技”,胡梨落就是因为演技不过关,才会惹上了这个人前长腿男神,人后跋扈就是一个态度的禹城三少。“我不管你的目的是什么,只要你求我,我就能帮你达成。”男人誓将痴汉形象进行到底。“求你个大头鬼!”不屑的胡梨落挥挥小手不带走一片云彩。只是,话不能说太满,人不能做太绝。要不然,当她真的有事需要他帮忙的时候,对方可是会狮子大开口。“嗯,帮你可以,但是这次的条件嘛……就把你给我好了!”这场情感以“不平等条约”开始,以谁会先“沦陷”为准则。却不知道在很久很久以前,两人已经见过第一次面,然后,注定再次相遇……
  • 百姓拿手菜

    百姓拿手菜

    本书汇百家之所长,收录美味百姓菜、经典拿手菜、家庭下酒拿手菜方面的菜谱,让您可以在自家的厨房里,利用最简单的器具,轻松制作出好吃、好看、好营养、好创意的各种家常菜。您只需要举一反三,便能让普通的家常菜因独特的做法而与众不同。
  • 苏学长的迷糊女友

    苏学长的迷糊女友

    叶酥落的一个不留神跌进校草怀中,从此步入了校草的温柔中……有一天,苏航安静的听着她为读着喜欢的故事。
  • 别烦,我也有个淘气儿子

    别烦,我也有个淘气儿子

    吕巧菱,一个十二岁男孩的母亲,一直摸爬滚打在青少年教育的第一线。兼之孩子从小“顽劣成性”,又练就了一身与特别淘气孩子相处、引导、教育的方法。现在孩子在重点中学学习,虽常常调皮捣蛋,但不管是学习、思维、性格都非常优秀,可见其独特家庭教育是成功的。曾出版书籍多部。
  • 尼尔斯骑鹅旅行记

    尼尔斯骑鹅旅行记

    这是一套献给孩子们的书。一如它的名字“阅读一小步·成长一大步”,在孩子们开始求知的成长旅程时,一套适合他们课外阅读的好书无疑为他们的人生……