1841-1886
115
STATE OF HER MAJESTY'S COLONIAL POSSESSIONS. 517
"writers on this disease; and those cases which have fallen under my notice during the past year have had their origin in functional disorder of the liver. "During the year I never met with a case of fever at all resembling the epidemic which prevailed in 1843."
My friend Dr. Balfour writes, "The most prevalent diseases in my practice, "during the past year, were simple and bilious diarrhoea and intermittent "fever, chiefly of the tertian type, which yielded very speedily to mild remedies. The number of deaths was about 1 per cent. of the patients under treatment."
Dr. Gordon, Staff Assistant-surgeon, whose zeal and intelligence during the prevalence of fever in the 95th regiment were subjects of universal admiration, kindly replies to my several queries respecting that disease, as follows:-
"A large majority of the cases, and those most fatal, came from the south "or rear range of the barracks.
"The disease was first observed about the first week in May; the increase "in June was not very great; but in July the increase in the number and severity of the cases was great. It continued during August, and sensibly "decreased during September.
**The average duration of disease was about 56 hours.
"Death generally occurred about the third day, but in many instances a few "hours after admission.
"The disease was called 'febris remittens,' and described as congestive and "malignant."
In addition to the foregoing brief remarks, Dr. Gordon has placed at my service a paper, which it is hoped he will be induced to publish, containing a most interesting and intelligent account of this disease. I believe I am not peculiar in considering it nearly identical with the yellow fever of the West Indies, which is said never to occur in the East, although indeed the earliest name the yellow fever received was "maladie de Siam." I always held the opinion that, although the fever of last summer was probably endemic, it was not peculiar to this place. In illustration of this opinion, I will place in juxtaposition with a case and his remarks given by Dr. Gordon, a case recorded in Johnson's work on Tropical Climates, by Mr. Shields, which occurred in Batavia, in the month of August, 1800, together with that gentleman's remarks.
Mr. Shields' Statement.
"Never was there a disease so deceitful as this fever. I have frequently seen instances where every symptom was so favourable that I could have almost pronounced my patient out of danger; when, all at once, he would be seized with restlessness, black vomiting, delirium, and convulsions, which in a few hours would hurry him out of existence!
"This was the case with Mr. Broughton, purser of the Daedalus, who died of the Batavian endemic at Edam hospital. On the seventh day of his illness he took a change for the better, and everything was promising. The morning before he died he expressed himself greatly relieved, and called for some mutton broth and sago, both of which he ate with a good appetite, spoke rationally, and was in good spirits. Towards evening the delusion vanished; restlessness, black vomiting, delirium, and convulsions supervened, and carried him off before morning!
Dr. Gordon's Statement. "The fever was of a very malignant and insidious character,
*the symptoms changing for the worse suddenly, and without warning either to the medical attendant or the patient himself, although often visited, and apparently much improved, both in feeling and appearance, half an hour previous to his death; when he would suddenly become strongly convulsed, his skin intensely hot and dry, the surface assuming a livid hue; thus the scene would close!
"Colour-sergeant Staley, a stout, healthy young man, was admitted on the morning of the 17th of June, in the cold stage of intermittent fever; and in about six hours had gone through all the stages of the disease. When the intermission occurred, quinine was exhibited. On the 18th he declared himself as feeling quite well, and was apyretic, his pulse not indicating even the slightest constitutional irritation.
About 4 P.M. on the 19th, I was called to see him, and found him comatose and convulsed, with lividity, intense heat, and dryness of the skin. Death closed the scene in a few minutes!”
The concourse of many people, during the reign of epidemic influence, gives pestilential violence to the disease. The emanations from the sick bodies will often precipitate a disease that may have remained dormant, or passed away in very safe paroxysms. There can be little doubt that many cases went into the Military Hospital last summer, to receive the inoculation of death from the