Chapter VIII: Section VIII: Of Preservation from a Pestilence (1)

IT is manifestly much more adviseable to keep off the Invasion of a Pestilence, than to stand its violent and fatal Shocks; and Self-Preservation, as well as the Example of all other wise People, admonishes us to use all possible Endeavours to keep it from us, and guard our selves against it while at a Distance. This Part therefore concerning our Preservation from a Pestilence, regards both the Duty of the Magistrate, and the Care of every Individual; that is to say, it is the Magistrate’s Duty, that when the Nature and peculiar Qualities of this Disease are known, and reported by Physicians, such Laws should be provided, as might best conduce to prevent its Spreading, if not to its utter Extirpation.

_FIRST_ of all therefore, they ought to be deemed as a kind of Traitors, who frighten the credulous Populace with the Apprehensions of an approaching Plague, by idle and groundless Reports and Predictions; for the Propagation of the late Sickness was too notoriously assisted by this Means, to want any Arguments to prove it.

THE timely Separation also of the infected from the well, is absolutely necessary to be done; because the most sure Way of spreading it, is letting the sick and well converse together. Publick Funerals ought to be forbid, as also all kinds of Meetings, and frequent Intercourses of several Persons together: An Injunction also of Quarentine from infected Places, according to the Custom of Trading Nations, is by any Means not to be omitted, and carefully to be executed.

ALTHOUGH it is looked upon as almost impossible by the most artful Contrivances, and the most prudent Councils, to avoid the Influence of a common Cause; yet the Call of Nature, and the Laws of Self-preservation, demand our utmost Diligence and Labour, both in publick and private, to prevent the Encroachment of such a subtile and cruel Destroyer. And it was certainly to this purpose a wise Contrivance of the Magistrates, to constitute two in every Parish daily to visit every Family, and be satisfied whether every one belonging thereunto was well, and free from any Infection.

BUT both the Ancients and Moderns have taken the utmost Pains in contriving to purge the Air, on a Supposition that, in a pestilential Contagion, that is _substantially_ infected: But as the Air, as before demonstrated, is only the Lodgment or Vehicle to the pestilential _Miasmata_, which are every Way agitated in it, it does not seem so much to want Depuration on its own Account, as that poisonous Mixture which is joined with it. Indeed the pestilential Particles residing in the Porosities of the Air, may often, without any Change of Figure, for Want of due Agitation, remain and stagnate in it a long Time, so as to be drawn in by the Lungs in Inspiration, and hence from the intimate Mixture and Confusion as it were of both, a Suspicion may be entertained of the Taint coming from a Corruption of Air; but of this we have said enough already; and as howsoever this Matter is, a Purgation of the Air is by common Consent called for on all Sides in these Cases, we shall consider this Matter, chiefly in these two Respects.

_FIRST_, That the pestilential _Seminium_ be dislodged; and to this Purpose contribute brisk Winds, especially from the _North_, and the frequent Explosions of great Guns, in the Morning and Evening chiefly; because such Concussions agitate the poisonous _Miasmata_, and not only help to dissipate them; but to change and alter them in those particular Configurations whereby they become so noxious; and it hath been attested by Experience, that an intimate Combination of _Nitre_ and _Sulphur_ greatly alters the saline Qualities of the pestilential Taint.

_SECONDLY_, The utmost Diligence is to be used to prevent the pestilential Particles from taking Effect; which is succesfully done by proper Fumigations. _Hippocrates_, the Oracle in Physick, hath left it to Posterity, to kindle Fires in the publick Streets; and these sometimes I conceive may do good; but not as some will have it, by absorbing the pestiferous Humidities, but by diffusing on all Sides a great deal of _Nitre_, which gives a considerable Change to the venomous _Miasmata_; I judge it best therefore that such Fires should be made of resinous Woods, which throw out a clear and unctious Smell, such as _Juniper_, _Fir_, _Oak_, _Ash_, _Elm_, _Chesnut_, &c. but by no Means Coals, which exhale an impure, fetid, and suffocating Sulphur.

BY the Care of the Magistrate also the Streets, Sinks, and Canals, should daily be cleared of all Filth; because Stench and Nastiness are justly reckoned the Entertainers of Infection, and we find the Air to be corrupted frequently from noisome Smells; so that the pestilential Venom cannot but receive additional Strength from such Means.

BUT to be yet more particular about these Fumigations, both to mend the Air, and refresh the Houses that have been infected, they must be composed of such Things as raise and comfort the Spirits that were languishing, with their grateful Flavours; for refreshing Smells are a kind of natural _Pabulum_ to the animal Spirits; or they should be of such Substances as by their gummy Viscidity entangle and cover the venomous _Spicula_, so that they cannot act; or, lastly, of such Things as breath out such nitrous Steams, which will either preserve our Bodies from receiving Impurities, or change the Nature of the infectious Particles.

I do not indeed deny, but some ungrateful Smells may be sometimes more convenient than sweet ones, as they fix those Spirits which would otherwise exhale; and a copious Efflux of saline Particles will often keep them from Infection and Injury. But to reduce these into Classes.

The _Simples_ of the first Class are _Musk_, _Civet_, _Amomum_, _Lavender_, _Rosemary_, _Roses_, _Angelica_, _Marjoram_, _Cloves_, _Rhodium Wood_, _Aloes Wood_, &c. Of the second, _Frankincense_, _Benjamin_, _Storax_, _Bdellium_, _Labdanum_, _Pitch_, _Sagapenum_, _Myrrh_, &c. Of the third Class, _Sulphur_ and _Nitre_, more of which hereafter.

BUT further, that all the Means of propagating the Plague may be removed, it is very wisely ordered by the Magistracy, to kill all Dogs, Cats, and other domestick Brutes, lest these Creatures in their Passage from one Place to another should carry along with them the pestilential Infection.

YET although both the Makers and Executors of the Laws were very diligent in their Duty during the late Sickness, the Contagion notwithstanding spread; when therefore all the Care and Skill of the Magistrate could avail nothing in stopping the common Destroyer, the utmost Application was made to preserve the Individuals under its Visitation: For which Purpose, first of all were removed all Means of rendering our Bodies more subject to take the Infection, and the best Care taken to fortifie the Constitution against its Attacks, and to support it under its Tyranny.

I know not indeed a greater Neglect than in not keeping the Body clean, and keeping at a Distance every Thing superfluous or offensive; and during the pestilential Constitution nothing was worse than Evacuations of all Kinds: But if a _Plethora_ required _Phlebotomy_, the Blood should be taken away by a small Orifice, in but little Quantity, and at several Times: A Person loaded with bad Humours, should be discharged of them, if possible, immediately; if they glut the Stomach, and first Passages, they ought to be thrown off by Vomiting, Drinking in the Operation good Quantities of Posset-Drink, in which hath been boiled the Leaves of _Carduus_ and _Scordium_; and also the Bowels should be cleansed, to which Purpose the following is useful:

_Salis Tart. +℈ ij.+ F. Solutio in spir. vini opt. +℥ ij.+ tum adde guttæ gambi +℈ iv.+ peractâ solutione evaporetur spir. tum adde colocynth. cum urinâ præp. +℈ ij.+ scammaii, Sulphurati +℈ j.+ Aloes, rosatæ +ʒ ij.+ trochisc. de rhabarb. rec. +℈ iv.+ gum. ammoniaci in aceto, scil. sobuti +ʒ j.+ salis absynthii, cardui ana +℈ j.+ ol. carui gutt. +vij.+ cum s. q. Syr. de rhamno F. massa, inde pilulæ, min. formentur, Dos. ad +℈ ij.+_ And thus to throw off those Humours which join with and aggravate the pestilential Venom, very much prevents the Want of Antidotes afterwards.

CARE must be taken that there be no Suppression of Urine; the Non-naturals must be used with great Regularity; the Body must be kept transpirable; the Tone of the _Viscera_ strengthened; Fasting avoided; Choice made of a good Diet, such as will yield good Nourishment, make but little Excrement, and be easy of Digestion; to which several Pickles and Sauces are to be recommended; as _Juice of Sorrel_, _Lemons_, _Oranges_, _Pomegranates_, _Barberries_, &c. and at every Meal Sack is to be allowed, whose Vertues we shall hereafter have Occasion to speak of; and Care should be taken not to be Abroad in the Evening.

AND to express all in a few Words, all the animal Fluids must be kept in a natural State, in an Equality of Motion, and an equable Degree of Mixture and Fluxility; they must not be put at any inordinate Hurries, nor be too much rarified or exalted; nor must they be suffered to grow vapid and languid, for Want of Depuration, and a Retention of excrementitious Particles. But a proper Regimen is better to be had from other Writers, we therefore hasten to proper Antidotes.

_An Antipestilential Electuary of +Mayerne+._

℞ _Juglandium virid. +lib. ij.+ ficuum, prunorum ana +lib. j.+ macerentur in aceto, & pulpa trajiciatur, cui adde pulv. subtiliss. rutæ, +lib. [ss.]+ viperinæ Virginianæ +℥ j. [ss.]+ rad. contrayerva +℥ iij.+ petasitid. zedoariæ, ana +℥ ij. [ss.]+ sacchari perlati +lib. j.+ Syr è succo Kermes +℥ j.+ Syr. calendulæ, caryophyll. ana q. s. ut F. Elect. molle, addendo fol. Auri 40. Dos. ad quantitatem nucis Jugland. maj. mane, & vesperi_.

_An Electuary for the Poor._

℞ _Conserv. lujulæ, galegæ ana +lib. [ss.]+ calendulæ +lib. j.+ Theriac. Londin. +℥ iij.+ boli armen. vitriol. +℥ iv.+ cum syr. limonum q. s. conficiatur Elect. Dos. ad +ʒ ij.+ vel +iij.+_

_An Antipestilential Confection._

℞ _Radic. scorzon. Hispan. petasitid. contrayerva ana +℥ ij.+ helenii, tormentillæ ana +℥ [ss.]+ angelicæ, chelidoniæ, mai. ana +℥ j. [ss.]+ bacc. Junip. præp. +lib. [ss.]+ summit. rutæ +p. j.+ sem. cardui, citri ana +ʒ ij.+ quibus præp. affunde p. duas aceti sambuc. & tertiam spir. vini opt. infusione peractâ & expressione, liquor igne lento evaporetur ferè ad mellaginem: extracti +lib. j.+ adde theriac. Londin. +℥ ij. [ss.]+ boli arm. terræ sigillatæ ana +℥ j.+ flor. sulphuris +ʒ v.+ succi Kermes +℥ ij.+ conserv. lujulæ +lib. j.+ cum syr. limon. q. s. F. Elect. molle, Dos. ad quantit. nucis myristicæ mai. ter, vel sæpius de die._

_Antipestilential Pills._

℞ _Extract. rad. helenii, angelicæ, contrayerva ana +℥ j.+ adde extract. alb. glycyrrh. +ʒ iij.+ flor. sulph. ad quatuor altèm vices sublim. +ʒ ij.+ C. C. philosoph. calcin. sem. citri pulveriz. ana +ʒ j. [ss.]+ salis scordii, absynth. ana +℈ ij.+ cum s. q. picis liquidæ F. massa pro pilulis, Dos. ad +ʒ [ss.]+ vel +℈ ij.+ mane, & horâ somni._

_Antipestilential +Elixir Proprietatis+._

℞ _Croci Angl. opt. +℥ [ss.]+ extrah. tincturam cum aq. ulmariæ, scabiosæ, cardui; vel melissæ s. q. additis spir. sulphuris aliquot guttis ad leviusculam aciditatem: liquor per chartam emporeticam agatur, in colaturâ ad lentum B. calorem dissolve Aloës pellucidæ è vesicâ +℥ iv.+ per sataccum linteum haùd ita rarum trajiciatur liquor; deinde F. condensatio ad eundem calorem, acquisitâ pilularum molliuscularum consistentia, adde myrrhæ purissimæ +ʒ vij.+ flor. vel. magisterii præcipit. Benzoin +ʒ iij.+ salis C. C. +ʒ ij.+ cum syr. sambuc. q. s. F. massa unde pilulæ formentur, Dos. ad +℈ ij.+_

_Lozenges against the Plague._

℞ _Extract. rad. angelicæ, & contrayerva +℥ j.+ extr. alb. liquiritiæ +ʒ iij.+ flor. sulphuris myrrhat. h. e. cum myrrhâ sublim. +ʒ v.+ ol. cinnam. gutt. +viij.+ saccharum crystallin. ad duplum omnium pondus, cum mucilag. gum. tragacanth. aq. scordii parat. q. s. F. Tabellæ parvæ subling._

SOME used every Morning to swallow a Clove or two of _Garlick_; and many eat unripe _Walnuts_ pickled. The following Draught was of admirable Service:

℞ _Aq. rosar. rubr. camphoratæ +℥ ij.+ aceti opt. +℥ j.+ in quibus dissolve bol. arm. opt. +℈ ij.+ adde syr. scabiosæ simpl. +ʒ iij.+ M. S. F. haustus._

SOME old Nurses, as themselves have informed me, for an Antidote gave human Excrements; but for the Efficacy of this Secret, I have nothing to say. Some found Benefit by drinking of Urine; but many who have thought themselves by these Means so well fortified, would venture themselves too inadvertently into Danger, without any necessary Occasion, to the great Hazard of their Lives.

BUT in these precautionary Directions, it is to be particularly advertised, that Astringents of any Kind whatsoever, as _Bole_, _sealed Earth_, _Lemnian Earth_, _Coral_, &c. are not to be given to Maidens, and Women in their monthly Courses, for Fear they should occasion Obstructions, and other bad Disorders: Those Remedies also are as much to be blamed which force this Evacuation by thinning the Blood too much, and irritating the Uterine Vessels: And lastly, in the Preservation as well as the Cure, the Seasons of the Year, Sex, Constitution, Age, _&c._ are carefully to be attended to.

BUT before I proceed further, Gratitude obliges me to do Justice to the Vertues of _Sack_, as it deservedly is ranked amongst the principal Antidotes, whether it be drank by it self, or impregnated with _Wormwood_, _Angelica_, &c. for I have never yet met with any Thing so agreeable to the Nerves and Spirits in all my Experience. That which is best is middle-aged, neat, fine, bright, racy, and of a Walnut Flavour; and it is certainly true, that during the late fatal Times, both the infected and the well found vast Benefit from it, unless they who used it too intemperately; many indeed medicated it with various _Alexipharmick Simples_.

IT remains that we now say somewhat concerning the Use of _Tobacco_, whose Vertues for this Purpose are extreamly cried up by _Diemebrooeck_, and some others; but whether we regard the narcotick Quality of this _American_ Henbane; or the poisonous Oil which exhales from it in Smoaking; or that prodigious Discharge of Spittle which it occasions, and which Nature wants for many other important Occasions; or, lastly, the Exercise it gives to the Lungs in drawing it; besides the Aptitude of the pestilential Poison to be taken down along with it, and the Irksomeness of its Scent; I must confess my self at Uncertainties about it; though as to my self, I am its professed Enemy, and was accustomed to supply its Place as an Antidote with _Sack_.

WE now then come to external Remedies, amongst which _Amulets_, and Characters, demand the first Notice: It must indeed be granted, that it is no new Custom or Contrivance to hang these Charms, made various Ways, about many Parts of the Body, but what Vertues these Things have, is worth some Enquiry.

IT hath obtained with many, that Nature, or the Soul of the World, hath impressed upon some certain Bodies a very diffusive magnetick Vertue; whereupon some _Adepts_ have ascribed to many of these Bodies a Faculty of expelling Poisons. Others conceit, that both artificial and natural Poisons do, by a certain Sympathy, when outwardly applied, draw away every Thing that is detrimental to the Constitution; after the Manner as _Amber_ attracks Straws, and (as they report of the _Snake-stone_) imbibe its Venom: Some others again contrive _Amulets_ of Spices, to invigorate Nature, and support her against the Enemy.

I think it proper to give my Opinion of this Matter; with Submission therefore to these great Men, I cannot easily come into a Belief of any Advantages to be had from this Practice; for most of the Efforts ascribed to them, is rather from the Power of Imagination, or owing to some manifest Property. Furthermore, it hath religiously obtained amongst many People, that Diseases are to be driven away by painting Characters upon the Body; but it is strongly to be suspected, that this Practice hath been altogether owing to _Jugglers_, and Persons addicted to infernal Arts; for what medicinal Virtue can there be in a Figure? It seems to me, that because the _Sacred Mysteries_ of our _Art_ were anciently described by _Hieroglyphicks_, the Populace, who were ignorant of their Significations, mistook them for Charms against a _Plague_, and other grievous Diseases, and they propagated their Delusion down to Posterity.

THERE are innumerable Preparations of these Charms or _Amulets_ to be met with in the Writings of several Physicians; but I shall take it to have sufficiently discharged my Duty here, to mention those only which were used by our own Country People; the principal of which was a _Walnut_ filled with _Mercury_; for it is certain that many did promise to themselves Security from the Dignity of this Metal, which to them seemed to be the Parent of all others; others again expected great Matters from its Volatility, notwithstanding it was thus inclosed, thinking that the natural Heat of the Body would draw such Vertues, as would secure them from the Infection. But much the greater Number were supplied with arsenical _Amulets_, from Empiricks and Mountebanks; these were compounded of _Arsenick_ alone, with Wax; or had many other Things added thereunto, appropriated to the Disease. One of the chief Forms of this Kind is the following:

℞ _Dictamni cret. pulv. +℈ vij.+ pulv. sinapi +ʒ [ss.]+ Benzoin. +ʒ ij.+ Arsenici veri +ʒ iij.+ ol. cinnam. gutt. +vij.+ ceræ opt. +ʒ v.+ cum mucilag. gum. tragacanth. aceto rosac. parat. F. pasta, unde placentæ multiformes depsaticæ parentur, ad pondus +ʒ ij.+ vel +iij.+ cordis regioni admovendæ, linteo serico priùs involutæ._ For it commonly prevailed amongst the Populace, that _Arsenick_, by some magnetick Vertue, draws away all Poison, especially that of a Pestilence. The wearing also of a dried Toad was a mighty Secret with some.

BUT to give my Thoughts concerning the good or bad Effects of these appended Remedies, I do not remember any one who had their Expectations answered thereby; but many confiding too much in them, neglected other more necessary Means of Preservation, and brought themselves into great Hazard of their Lives by wearing them; a remarkable Instance of which I met with in an elderly Lawyer, who upon wearing an Arsenical _Amulet_ upon his Breast, had a pestilential Carbuncle rise under it, the third Day after which he died. In some others large Vesications appeared, not from any Venom drawn out, but from the Caustick Quality of the Charm it self, and the Communication of its own Poison to the Part: What Madness was it, in such a terrible Calamity, to put the Hazard of Life upon such idle and ridiculous Experiments?

BUT to pass over such Baubles, and proceed to Means that are conformable to Reason, and the Rules of Medicine, _Issues_ are not to be forgot; for by these all kinds of Impurities are allowed to flow out along with the pestilential Poison, as through an open and ready Passage; and the more of these little Ulcers are made, the better, although their Largeness may answer as well as more in Number; that is, if they are big enough to hold 4, 6 or 8 Peas together. If any one hath a Mind for two Issues, let one be made in the left Arm, and the other in the opposite Leg. And as for the Usefulness of these, I can speak it of my own Experience, that whensoever I was most beset with pestilential Fumes, in the Course of my Business, I could then immediately perceive a shooting Pain in my Issue, and had a great deal of an ill conditioned Matter discharge from it; and this I always looked upon as a sure Warning to have timely recourse to _Alexipharmicks_.

GREAT Service was likewise found in the Preservation against the Pestilence, as well as in its curative Part, by the Application of _Blisters_, and keeping them open a good while.

HAVING thus come to a Conclusion, I think it not amiss to recite the Means which I used to preserve my self from the Infection, during the continual Course of my Business among the Sick.

AS soon as I rose in the Morning early, I took the Quantity of a Nutmeg of the _Antipestilential Electuary_; then after the Dispatch of private Concerns in my Family, I ventured into a large Room, where Crowds of Citizens used to be in waiting for me; and there I commonly spent two or three Hours, as in an Hospital, examining the several Conditions and Circumstances of all who came thither; some of which had Ulcers yet uncured, and others to be advised under the first Symptoms of Seizure; all which I endeavoured to dispatch, with all possible Care to their various Exigencies.

AS soon as this Crowd could be discharged, I judged it not proper to go abroad fasting, and therefore got my Breakfast: After which, till Dinner-time, I visited the Sick at their Houses; whereupon, entring their Houses, I immediately had burnt some proper Thing upon Coals, and also kept in my Mouth some Lozenges all the while I was examining them. But they are in a Mistake who report that Physicians used, on such Occasions, very hot Things, as _Myrrh_, _Zedoary_, _Angelica_, _Ginger_, &c. for many, deceived thereby, raised Inflammations upon their Tonsils, and greatly endangered their Lungs.

I further took Care not to go into the Rooms of the Sick when I sweated, or were short-breathed with Walking; and kept my Mind as composed as possible, being sufficiently warned by such, who had grievously suffered by Uneasiness in that Respect. After some Hours Visiting in this Manner, I returned Home. Before Dinner, I always drank a Glass of _Sack_, to warm the Stomach, refresh the Spirits, and dissipate any beginning Lodgment of the Infection. I chose Meats for my Table that yeilded an easie and generous Nourishment, roasted before boiled, and Pickles not only suitable to the Meats, but the Nature of the Distemper; (and indeed in this melancholy Time, the City greatly abounded with Variety of all good Things of that Nature) I seldom likewise rose from Dinner without drinking more Wine. After this, I had always many Persons came for Advice; and as soon as I could dispatch them, I again visited till Eight or Nine at Night, and then concluded the Evening at Home, by drinking to Cheerfulness of my old favourite Liquor, which encouraged Sleep, and an easie Breathing through the Pores all Night. But if in the Day-time I found the least Approaches of the Infection upon me, as by Giddiness, Loathing at Stomach, and Faintness, I immediately had Recourse to a Glass of this Wine, which easily drove these beginning Disorders away by Transpiration.

YET in the whole Course of the Infection, I found my self Ill but twice; but was soon again cleared of its Approaches by these Means, and the Help of such Antidotes as I kept always by me.

BUT to conclude, it may not be improper to take Notice, that the Citizens much accustomed themselves to certain Compositions for keeping off the Infection, by continual Smelling to them; the chief amongst which was the following.

℞ _Pulv. rad. angelicæ, summit. rorism. & lavendulæ cum floribus ana +ʒ ij.+ caryophyll. +ʒ iiij.+ labdæni puriss. Styracis ana +ʒ iij.+ omnibus præp. in commixtione adde ol. nucis mosch. per express. +ʒ j. [ss.]+ ol. ligni rhod. +℈ ij.+ camphoræ +ʒ [ss.]+ moschi +gr. viij.+ cum ceræ opt. p. s. F. massa._ Some likewise would smell to _Galbanum_, _Oil of Wormwood_, or _Rue_, as also the Oil or Spirit drawn from _Pitch_, and dropped upon Cotton, to be kept in a close Ivory Box. Yet I could not so much approve of these Things, as they were used; because they so much dilated the Pores of the olfactory Organs, as to give more Liberty for the pestilential _Miasmata_ to pass in along with them.

THE Purification of Houses was contrived to be done several Ways; but what I most approved of, was in placing a Chafing-dish in the Middle of a Room, or the Entries, or Windows, where proper Things were burnt, and exhaled all round. Quicklime was likewise thrown into the following Decoction.

℞ _Fol. Scordii, Angelicæ ana +M iij.+ summit. lauri, rutæ, lavendulæ ana +M j. [ss.]+ flor. rosar. pallid. sambuci ana +p. ij.+ calami aromat. +ʒ v.+ Caryophyll. Contus. +ʒ iij.+ F. decoctio in duabus p. aq. font. & tertiâ aceti rosac. vel Sambuc. consimiliter ac lagenæ, à mucore, & setu calcis extinctione mundantur, ita ut liquorem inditum amplius vitient, & corrumpant._ For as soon as the Lime is thrown in, it raises a very penetrating Steam, which seemed very likely to destroy the Efficacy of the pestilential _Miasmata_. For the same Purpose likewise were the following very judiciously contrived.

℞ _Salis petræ +lib. j.+ Sulphuris +℥ iij.+ benzoin. Styracis simul liquati. ana q. s. ut formentur s. a. Trochisc. deb. exiccandi._

_FINIS._

OF THE
Different Causes
OF
PESTILENTIAL DISEASES,
And how they become Contagious.

WITH
REMARKS
Upon the INFECTION now in
_FRANCE_,

And the most probable Means to
prevent its Spreading here.

By JOHN QUINCY, M. D.

_LONDON:_

Printed for _E. Bell_, at the _Cross Keys_ in _Cornhill_; and
_J. Osborn_, at the _Oxford-Arms_ in _Lombard-street_,
1720.

OF THE

Different Causes

OF

_Pestilential Diseases_, &c.

THERE is hardly any one Subject more largely treated of by Physical Writers, than that of _Pestilential Diseases_; and the Reason of it I take to be, the Frequency in all Ages and Countries, of Alarms from such dreadful Destroyers; and the uncommon Impressions they are apt to make upon the Minds of those, whose Profession naturally leads them to enquire into their Causes. But in this it has fared as with all the other Branches of that noble Science. The Conjectures and Opinions of Persons have at all Times been too much influenced by the Philosophy in Vogue, insomuch that it is almost an endless as well as an unprofitable Task, to examine into them all: And as such an Enquiry is not consistent with the intended Brevity of these Pages, I shall pass them by, only just taking Notice of the most considerable Opinions, under which, most that has been advanced to any Purpose may be reduced.

ALL Authors upon this Subject, may be reduced under these two Sorts: Such as ascribe them to the immediate Wrath of Heaven, and account them as Punishments inflicted by the immediate Exertion of a Supernatural Power; and such as assign for their Origin some natural Cause.

ALTHOUGH too great a Regard cannot be had to the Author of our Beings, yet Care should likewise be taken, not to ascribe every Calamity to the immediate Exertion of the Almighty Power; for it seems much more worthy of the Divine Being so to order it, that from the Course of second or natural Causes, Punishments shall pursue Offenders, than to imagine the frequent Exertion of his Power in a Way supernatural to inflict such Punishments. But there is a great deal of Reason to suspect, that the Number of this Sect was very much increased by such, as either out of Ignorance in other Causes, or out of an affected Devotion, thought it their Interest to come into this Opinion, and pretend to do greater Cures by certain religious Performances, and their Intercession with Heaven, than was in the Power of Medicine, of which they knew but very little.

OF those that assign some natural Cause, there are several Opinions: Some ascribe them to astral Influences, to malign Conjunctions and Radiations of the Heavenly Bodies. We find, from the most remote Antiquity, not only _Pestilential Diseases_, but likewise a great many others, ascribed to the same Causes: But all the Reasonings about this Conjecture have been very obscure and perplexed until the present Age, when Sir _Isaac Newton_ first taught Men to think justly, and talk intelligibly about the Motions and Influences of those remote Bodies upon our _Atmosphere_: And upon his Theory Dr. _Mead_ has since further proceeded to determine their Efficacies upon humane Bodies. By which, as it does appear that they affect us no otherwise than as they occasion the several Variations of the Seasons, and different Constitutions of the Air, the Reader must be left to the Consideration of such Causes.

ANOTHER Cause is charged upon Steams and Exhalations from putrefying Bodies. There are Abundance of Instances to support this Opinion, that manifestly discover very fatal Effects from such Causes. As Battels are generally fought in Summer-Time, when by the Heat of the Season Things are most disposed to Putrefaction, so it has often been observed, that the Plague has appeared after great Slaughters of Men in Fight, as appears by undoubted Testimony from _Julius Alexandrinus_[1], _Diodorus Siculus_, and a great many others, too tedious to mention. _Ambrose Parrey_[2] gives a Relation of a Plague, that laid waste almost a whole Country, which had its Rise from the Stench of a great many human Carcases that were thrown into one Pit, and left Rotting uncover’d. _Joannes Wolfius_[3], _Forestus_[4], the above-mentioned _Parrey_[5], and _Agricola_[6], all take Notice of Plagues arising from the Stench of putrifying Fish that were thrown dead upon the Shores.

OTHER Steams of the same Efficacy frequently arise from the Putrefactions of stagnant Waters, and other Bodies, which, in some particular Constitutions of Air, are apt to corrupt and emit very offensive _Effluvia_. Dr. _Mead_[7] relates from _Diogenes Laertius_[8], that _Empedocles_ observed a pestilential Disease to afflict the _Salinuntij_, from the Putrefaction of a certain River; to remedy which, he contrived to have the Streams of two other neighbouring Rivers drained into it, which, by their Increase of the Current, with an additional Weight and Pressure of Water, brought the former to its usual Sweetness, and so put a Stop to the Plague.

TO this Purpose Dr. _Plot_[9] observes, the Reasons why _Oxford_ is now much more healthful than heretofore, to be the Enlargement of the City, whereby the Inhabitants, who are not proportionably increased, and not so close crowded together; and the Care of the Magistrates in keeping the Streets clear from Filth: For formerly (he says) they used to kill all Manner of Cattle within the Walls, and suffer their Dung and Offals to lie in the Streets. Moreover, about those Times the _Isis_ and _Cherwell_, thro’ the Carelessness of the Townsmen, being filled with Mud, and the Common-Shores by such Means stopped, did cause the Ascent of Malignant Vapours whenever there happened to be a Flood. But since that, by the Care and at the Charge of _Richard Fox_, Bishop of _Winchester_, in the Year 1517, those Rivers were cleansed, and more Trenches cut for the Water’s free Passage, the Town has continued in a very healthful Condition; and in a particular Manner so free from Pestilential Diseases, that the Sickness in 1665, which raged in most Parts of the Kingdom, never visited any Person there, although the Terms were there kept, and the Court and both Houses of Parliament did there reside.

TO this Cause, ’tis very probable, is owing the Frequency of the Plague at _Grand Cairo_ in _Egypt_, and in the Island of _Sardinia_, as _Pæusanias_ and others relate: Although indeed _Prosper Alpinus_[10] charges a great deal of the Cause of that at _Cairo_, upon their continual Commerce with such Nations as are seldom without such infectious Diseases. And for this Reason it is, that we find all those Countries, which most abound with Swamps and Standing-Waters, to be most unhealthful, especially in the hottest Seasons; except, as in several Parts of _Italy_, such Lakes have any Communication with the Sea, or some large Rivers. To this purpose _Piso_[11] frequently observes those Places to be most subject to such Calamities, where there are constant Heat and settled Calms, as such a Temperament of Air most disposes Bodies to Putrefaction and Corruption, as in St. _Thomas Island_, and _Guinea_: And, on the contrary, that notwithstanding the Intenseness of Heat, if the Fluids are but agitated by Winds, Tides, and Currents, there is little Danger of such Diseases; and the less still, the more regular and constant the Seasons are upon other Accounts: By which Means it is, that between the _Tropicks_, and even under the _Equator_, it is very healthful.

UNDER this Head it may not be improper to observe, that too scanty and mean a Diet, and Feeding upon unripened and unsound Fruits, are frequently charged with a Share in Mischiefs of this kind. _Josephus_[12] and _Julius Cæsar_[13], amongst Historians; _Forestus_,[14] and several other physical Writers, give Accounts of Plagues from the like Causes. _Galen_[15] is very positive in this Matter; and in one Place[16] accuses his great Master _Hippocrates_ with Neglecting too much the Consequence of a bad Diet, and ascribing some Mischiefs arising from thence to a bad Air. And upon this is grounded the common Opinion of a _Plague_’s following a _Famine_; in which Circumstances, the poorer sort, who feed meanest, generally suffer most, as it frequently happens in long Sieges, and Armies ill supplied with Provisions. Thus Travellers report, that _Surrat_ in the _East-Indies_ is seldom or never free from a Plague, which is ascribed to the mean Diet of the Natives, who are _Banians_, and feed on little else than Herbs, Water, Rice, and such like pitiful Fare; for it is observed, that the _Europeans_ who trade there, are in no Danger of being infected, because they feed well on Flesh, and drink Wine, which secures them against those malignant Diseases.

A Third Cause is ascribed to Mineral Eruptions and subterraneous Exhalations. _Pestilences_ from this Cause are more infrequent than from several others; because such Eruptions hardly ever happen but upon Earthquakes, or Breaking into the Bowels of the Earth by Mines, Pits, Wells, and the like; and then too, in Order to produce a _Pestilence_, it is necessary that whatsoever exhales and mixes with the ambient Air, must be of such a Nature, as to render it unrespirable; or to communicate by it such Particles to the Animal Juices as will pervert their natural Crasis, and disturb their due Secretions; which does not often happen, for there are frequent Shocks of the Earth from intestine Fermentations, which are not followed by any such Mischiefs, as they happen only from the Struggle of such Principles, as when they have got Vent, neither of themselves, or by any Thing emitted with them, are of that disagreeable Nature, as to give any Disturbance to the Animal OEconomy.

_CAROLUS de la Font_,[17] indeed, as well as several others, lays great Stress upon Causes of this kind, and charges _Pestilential Diseases_ chiefly to Mineral Exhalations of divers kinds; as _Arsenical_, _Mercurial_, _Sulphurous_, &c. which he imagines the ambient Air often to be overcharged with, either from the Heat of the Sun, Earthquakes, or subterraneous Fires. To all this, Persons of different Opinion object, the Infrequency of Plagues in _Calabria_, _Naples_, and several Parts of _Sicily_, where there are manifestly very great subterraneous Fires, such as occasion violent Earthquakes, and many furious and plentiful Eruptions of metallick and mineral Fumes. A very distinct Relation of which, from his own Knowledge, may be met with from Dr. _Bernard Connor_,[18] who has been very curious in his Enquiries hereinto.

BUT however Authors differ upon this Head, several very odd Relations are to be met with in History of malignant and deadly Sicknesses from these Causes. That Story is very strange which is related by _Ammianus Marcellinus_,[19] and taken Notice of by _Cardan_ and _Riolanus_, that a most grievous Pestilence broke out in _Seleucia_, which, from thence to _Parthia_, _Greece_, and _Italy_, spread it self thro’ a great part of the World, from the Opening an ancient Vault in the Temple of _Apollo_, and that it raged with so much Fury, as to sweep away a third part of the Inhabitants of those Countries it visited.

IT is needless to trouble the Reader with many Relations of the sudden and strange Effects of some Steams arising from Mines and Pits, which are generally termed by our Colliers _Damps_, because almost every Body has already been acquainted with such Accounts.

DR. _Plot_[20] tells us, That about Twenty Years since, two Persons were employed to dig a Well in the Parish of _North-Leigh_ in _Oxfordshire_, but upon being taken ill, left off the Work: Whereupon it was undertaken by two others of _Woodstock_; who, before they could do any thing considerable in it, sunk down, and died irrecoverably in the Well: Which being perceived by a Miller hard by, and he coming to their Assistance, fell down dead upon them. Another also venturing to do the same, with a Rope tied about him, fell from the Ladder just in the same Manner; and though presently drawn up by the People above, yet he was scarcely recover’d in an Hour or more. And since then, upon a Bucket’s falling into a Well in another Part of the Town, a Woman perswaded a strong lusty Man to go down a Ladder to fetch it, who, by that Time he had got half way down, fell from the Ladder into the Well; upon which, the Woman called another of her Neighbours to his Assistance, who, much about the same Place, met with the same Fate, without giving the least Sign of Change; so fatal (says the Doctor) are the Damps of that Place. Dr. _Boot_[21] tells a Story that happened at _Dublin_ in _Ireland_, just of the same Nature. And in the _Philosophical Transactions_[22], there are the like Relations of Damps in the Coal-Mines belonging to the Lord _Sinclair_ in _Scotland_.

THE most surprizing Effect of these subterraneous _Effluvia_ that I ever met with, is in a Relation of Dr. _Bernard Connor_, of certain Persons in _Paris_ digging deep in a Vault or Cellar, who were so suddenly transfixed by some subtile Vapour, that when a Servant-Maid came down to speak with them, she found them in Postures as if at Work; one with his Pick-Ax advanced, another with his Shovel full of Earth, half lifted up, and a Woman sitting by with her Arm upon her Knee, her Head leaning upon that Hand, with manifest Expectations in her Countenance of what they were in Search after.

THE same Author, from his own Knowledge, gives a very exact Account of a _Grotta_ in _Italy_, much talked of, and commonly called _la Grotta de cani_, by this Author, _Crypta_ Κυνιχυς; But Dr. _Mead_ hath since, from his own Knowledge also, given a very particular and rational Account of this Place, and the Manner of its killing; to whom therefore the Reader may turn for further Satisfaction.

ANOTHER, and more general Cause than any hitherto mentioned of these Maladies, is some bad and unwholsome Constitution of Air. Such Constitutions may arise from several Causes, which although they affect us in different Manners, yet as they are equally fatal, we call them all _Malignant_ or _Pestilential_: In Order therefore to understand the better how we are differently affected by those different Constitutions, it will be proper to consider them somewhat distinctly, under these general Heads, _viz._ _A dry hot Air_, _hot and moist_, _cold and moist_, _and cold and dry_; to which most Variations of Air may be reduced.

THAT from the several Constitutions of Air, our Bodies are differently affected; and that most Diseases are in some Measure more or less influenced thereby, is quite out of Dispute. _Hippocrates_, in a great many Places declares himself of this Mind: His whole third section of _Aphorisms_ is a Proof of it; and in several Places[23] he discovers his Opinion, that _Pestilential Diseases_ have their Rise from hence. _Galen_, his best Interpreter, understood his το θειον, which some will have to be meant of somewhat Divine, or the immediate Hand of God, to be nothing else but a particular Constitution of Air arising from natural Causes; and that he was of the same Mind himself, is very plain from his own Writings[24].

IT is almost endless, as well as altogether needless, to cite all the Authorities for this Opinion, that might be collected from the most remote Antiquity down to the present Age. We shall therefore proceed to consider the different Constitutions of Air, according to the forementioned Distinction; premising only, that the Terms _Hot_, _Cold_, &c. are used in a twofold Sense, the one is _Absolute_, and the other _Relative_; by the former, _viz._ _Absolute Heat_, _Cold_, &c. is understood one simple Property of the Air only, as it is different not in Degree, but in Quality from others: By the latter, that is, _Relative Heat_, &c. is meant certain Degrees of those Properties: As the same Air may at the same Time be said properly to be both Hot and Cold, or Dry and Moist, as it is compared with another Air, either Hotter or Colder, Dryer, or Moister; for with Regard to a hotter Air, it will be termed cold, when at the same Time if it be compared to a colder Air, it would be accounted hot: And so of the rest. To which Distinction, it is very necessary to have constant Regard to avoid Confusion.

THOSE Countries where the Air is hot and dry for the greatest Part, are related to be healthful, and free from _Pestilential Diseases_, except where there are great Swamps and stagnant Waters, or by any accidental Causes Bodies are exposed there to Putrefaction, the Steams of which render Persons Diseased. In such Countries, for the most Part of the Year, there is but very little Rain, and the Nights are comparatively colder than elsewhere, from the great Dews which then fall. As _Piso_[25] informs us, that the colder the Nights are in _Brasil_, and the more plentifully the Dews fall, the Inhabitants account it most agreeable to their Soil, and conducive to Vegetation; and Physicians reckon it much the most healthful for the Inhabitants.

THE Heat of the Air alone, where it is constant and uniform, does not appear to render Persons born in it, or long accustomed to it, any more unhealthful, than that which is more temperate. _Aristotle_[26] indeed says, a hot and dry _Southerly_ Wind will bring a _Pestilence_; but of such we have very few Instances, especially on this Part of the Globe. There is in _Livy_[27] an Account of a _Plague_ at _Rome_, from a great Drought; and _Nicephorus_[28] relates such another: But these generally come from some other manifest Causes besides Heat, and in Places not accustomed to a dry Air.

BUT a hot and moist Air is very different. By _Moist_, is meant what arises from sudden or long Rains. This is the Constitution of Air that most Authors charge with being the greatest Instrument in _Pestilential Distempers_. _Hippocrates_[29] ascribes a great deal to such an Air, and relates a _Pestilence_ that had its Rise from great Heat, joined with _Southerly_ Winds and much Rain. _Galen_ is of the same Mind, as appears from several of his Writings[30], with many others too tedious to mention. The Truth of this is likewise manifest from the Histories of those Countries, where there are long settled Heats, and afterwards much Rain, as in several Parts of the _East-Indies_, which are known at such Times to be most grievously afflicted with Fevers and Diseases of a very malignant Kind. The same we are informed of from some Places in _Africa_,[31], _viz._ That if Showers fall soon upon the sultry Heats of _July_ and _August_, pestilential Distempers certainly ensue. It may be generally observed here too in our own Climate, that the most unhealthful Times are after warm Rains, and the more if the Air is then agitated but little with Winds.

FROM a cold and moist Air, we have little complained of, as to their occasioning these Diseases, unless such a Constitution sets in immediately upon a contrary Extream; for all sudden Changes of Weather are more or less unhealthful, as well as in other Respects of living; for which Reason particularly, _Corn. Celsus_ advises to be very slow in all Alterations of Moment: And _Sanctorius_ frequently inculcates the same in his _Aphorisms_, and tells us[32] how it is hurtful, both to go suddenly out of a hot Air into a cold one, and out of a cold Air into a hot one; and is also very particular[33] in the Inconveniencies of such a Constitution of Air we are now speaking of, setting in after the Heat of Summer. _Hippocrates_[34] does tell us of a _Pestilence_ from long continued cold Rains, as likewise does _Fernelius_[35], but such Instances are not common.

THE last Constitution of Air we are to take Notice of, is that which is cold and dry, against which there are a great many very heavy Complaints. _Galen_ writes of a most Raging Pestilence about _Aquileia_ in _Italy_, that began in the very Middle of Winter, and had its manifest Cause in extream Cold. _Fernelius_[36] asserts the Rise of several Pestilences from the same Causes: As also does _Morellus_[37] observe great Malignities to proceed from some _Northerly_ cold Winds. _Titus Livy_[38] likewise mentions a _Pestilential Constitution_ arising from intense Cold, but _Physical Histories_ abound with such Relations.

OF the strange and sudden Effects of intense Cold and dry Winds, we have very surprizing Accounts from those who have travelled into Countries where they are the most frequent. Dr. _Bernard Connor_[39] beforementioned, relates, That when he was in _Poland_, it was asserted to him by very creditable Testimonies, that it frequently happens in _Lithuania_, and some of the _Northern_ Tracts of _Muscovy_ and _Tartary_; that if sometimes, through the Neglect of the Shepherds, their small Cattle, as _Sheep_, _Goats_, and the like, be left exposed in the Night-time to the _Northerly Winds_, they are frequently found next Morning perfectly stiff and dead, in the same Posture as they are wont to be in at their Stalls and Cribs: And there are divers Accounts of Persons in those Countries, who have been so suddenly transfixed, stiffened, and killed by those _Blasts_, as to have continued on Horseback in the same Posture as when Living, till the Horse, acquainted with the Road, has brought them to their Journey’s End: And the above-mentioned Physician[40] tells us, that when he was at _Brussels_, he was informed by a _Spanish_ Captain, that of a Party of Horse that was sent out for Booty in a very cold Season, one by Accident lost the rest of the Body; and Riding about some time, before he could find his Way, or any Refreshment, he was so transfixed with the Cold as to be quite killed, but continued on Horseback in the Posture of a Live Person, until his Horse at last happened to find the Way back to his Quarters, whither his Company had before got, and missing him, feared he had fallen into the Enemies Hands; but when they came to congratulate him upon his safe Return, they went so near as to speak to him, and take hold of him, before they perceived him to be dead.

TO _Blasts_ of this kind it undoubtedly is, that Fruit Trees and Plants do so frequently suffer, especially after a warm early Spring, after the vegetable Juices have began to rise and shoot into Buds and Leaves. Instances of this Nature we frequently find in our own Countrey; and I have had Opportunity to observe, more than once, that upon such _Blasts_, the Trees have, on that side towards the Wind, been in one Night’s Time quite changed in the Colour of the Leaves; and some, of the most tender sort, almost stripped bare, their Leaves falling off dry, as in _Autumn_.

BUT there is something yet further, besides particular Constitutions of Air, that is taken Notice of by Physicians, as a general Cause of Maladies of this kind; and that is what is commonly called _Contagion_ or _Infection_; by this Term _Contagion_, is understood a Disease arising from the Contact of such Bodies or Particles as have in them a Power of Altering the due Crasis of a healthful Person, and inducing still one common Disease; these Particles are generally called by Physical Writers μιασματα, _Contagiosa_, or _Contagij Seminia_; and the Difference of Pestilences arising from these Causes seems much to differ from what have been hitherto taken Notice of, as the former cannot be shunned but by quite leaving the diseased Climate, or by such a Strength, or Turn of Constitution, as resists, or yeilds not to the general Disorder; whereas in this last Case, a Person seems to be equally safe in any Air that is not impregnated with these contagious _Effluvia_, and the greatest Danger arises from the Nearness to diseased Persons, or whatsoever else is capable of harbouring those mischievous and secret Messengers, as the Poet[41] takes Notice.

_Quo proprior quisq; est, servitq; fidelius agro
In partem Lethi citius venit.————_

THE Histories of Physick abound with Relations of Pestilences from no other Cause than what arises from the Importation of the Disease, if it may be so termed, from distant Countries; and sometimes not by Persons themselves distempered, but by the Conveyance of these _Pestilential Miasmas_ in their Cloaths or Wares imported in the Way of Trade. _Fracastorius_,[42] an eminent _Italian_ Physician, tells us, That in the Year Fifteen Hundred and Eleven, when the _Germans_ were in Possession of _Verona_, there arose a deadly Disease amongst the Soldiers from the Wearing only a Coat purchased for a small Value; for it was observed, that every Owner of it soon sickened and died; until, at last, the Cause was so manifestly from some Infection in the Coat, that it was ordered to be burned. Ten Thousand Persons, he says, were computed to fall by this Plague before it ceased.

FROM the same Cause, that is, infected Garments, and Merchandize, _Mercurialis_ takes Notice of a Plague in his Time at _Venice_; and _Appianus Alexandrinus_[43] assures us, that the _Celtæ_, after a Conquest over the _Illyrici_, and in Possession of their Plunder, were infected with a grievous Plague, which the _Illyrici_ then laboured under. _Thycidides_ also, in his Relation of the Plague at _Athens_, intimates, That it was brought from some Part of _Ethiopia_ by the like Means. And _Prosper Alpinus_[44], before mentioned, seems to lay the greatest Stress for the Frequency of the Plague at _Grand Cairo_, to the Traffick with those Countries as are hardly ever free from _Pestilential Diseases_. A great many Physicians have charged the Plague in Sixteen hundred and sixty three at _Amsterdam_, to the Infection of some _Pestilential Miasms_ which were transported from _Smyrna_ and _Algiers_, then much infected with such Diseases, with some Merchandize; by which Means likewise it was conjectured soon afterwards to reach _London_, and several other Parts of _England_, as it appears from the preceding Account of Dr. _Hodges_. To this Purpose I remember to have read a strange Story, somewhere in _Baker_’s Chronicle, of a great Rot amongst Sheep, which was not quite rooted out until about Fourteen Years Time, that was brought into _England_ by a Sheep bought for its uncommon Largeness, in a Country then infected with the same Distemper: And upon this Account it is that the Prudence of those Nations and States are to be justified, who enjoin all Persons and Merchandize from infected Countries, to stay a certain Time upon their Coasts and Borders before they are suffered to intermix with a healthful People; having by such Instances as here mentioned been justly alarmed at the Incroachment of such dreadful Destroyers.

THESE Historical Fragments are put together, in Order to apprize those Readers who have not been very conversant with Things of this Kind, with the various Ways by which the most dangerous Diseases, and even sudden Death, may be introduced into our Constitutions, by the Agency of very minute and unheeded Causes; and likewise the better to support the Distinction necessary to be made between _Epidemic_ Diseases, and a _Contagion_; as well as to illustrate the Manner whereby the latter subsists, spreads, and proves fatal, when the Causes producing the former are absent.

_Epidemic_ Diseases of all Kinds and Degrees of Exacerbation, have their Rise from some common Cause, that affects all within its Extent more or less, in Proportion to the particular Fitness of different Constitutions to be affected by it: And by the _Bellinian_ Doctrine we are taught, how all those Changes are made in the Blood, when thrown into a Fever by these Causes, even from the most simple _Ephemera_, to the most complicated and malignant Cases whatsoever; to which therefore the Reader must be referred, for a clear Understanding of such Matters; it being sufficient to our Purpose here to observe, that he demonstrates all Fevers to be attended with some Fault in the Blood’s Motion, Quantity, or Quality, or in some or all of them together; and that its chief Fault in Quality, (which is most to the present Case) consists in an unequable Fluidity, some Parts of it being rendered thinner, and others thicker at the same Time, than in a natural State; not unlike what happens to all coagulated Liquors.