  I have said, that the similarity between a number of the symptoms of the plague, and those of the destructive fever which I saw in the West-Indian islands, in 1795 and 1796, struck me in Egypt. On my return to India, having recourse to my papers and case-books, written while I was in the West Indies, I found a very great resemblance between the two diseases, as I had seen them, in countries so remote. At Bombay, in conversation with General Nicolls, who commanded at Grenada while I was in that island, I mentioned the resemblance of the two diseases, in very many of their features, as being remarkable. At the general’s suggestion, I soon after drew out, in a tabular form, the principal points of resemblance between the plague and the yellow fever. This table appeared curious to the general, and to my ingenious and esteemed friend, Mr Scott, as well as to other friends at Bombay; and, at their desire, I appended it to my Memoir. I here subjoin it in the abstract: it may suggest hints that might be useful to future observers in the West-Indian fever as well as in the plague. Points of Resemblance between the Plague and the Yellow Fever. | THE PLAGUE. | THE YELLOW FEVER. | | 1st. The attack is sudden, and with the greatest prostration of strength. | 1st. Men were suddenly attacked on duty, and with the greatest debility, from the first. | | 2d. The head is the part principally complained of at first; thereafter the abdomen and limbs. | 2d. The attack was almost constantly with a pain of the head, the eye being first of a watery suffusion, then blood-shot, and, at last, yellow. | | 3d. In a majority of the fatal cases, there is an unconquerable irritability of stomach, and a vomiting of frothy bile. | 3d. The black vomiting is an almost constant attendant of the fatal cases, and which rarely any thing was found to relieve. | | 4th. The biliary system appeared in most cases to be the seat of the principal complaints: there was often pain, sometimes swelling of the liver, and the bowels were generally unequal. | 4th. From the yellowness of the body so generally seen, as well as from the very unequal state of the bowels, we were led to think, that, in this fever, the system of the liver was principally affected. | | 5th. In many cases there were remissions; and, in some cases, particularly of the Sepoys, there were perfect intermissions. | 5th. In a great many cases there were remissions, and some cases terminated in intermittents. | | 6th. The disease frequently alternated with the tropical diseases, arising from morbid action of the liver, viz. colera, icterus, hepatitis, and dysentery. | 6th. In several instances it alternated with dysentery, and in some cases with affections of the liver. | | 7th. In a majority of cases, we saw glandular swellings, petechiÆ, maculÆ, or vibices. | 7th. In some cases there were swellings of the parotid gland, petechiÆ, maculÆ, and vibices. | | 8th. Some cases died without bubo or irritability of the stomach. | 8th. We lost several cases, who never had the yellowness, nor the black vomit. | | 9th. In those cases which proved fatal, it was found impossible to produce salivation. | 9th. Whenever we could excite a flow of saliva, the patient was considered to be safe, and did well. |
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