Travels in Turkey, Asia Minor, Syria, and across the desert into Egypt ...

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HISTORICAL JOURNAL
termination of the disease, the necessity of some powerful agent is
implied to put the contagion into action, and give it its full force,
as well as to destroy its effects when present, leaving, however, a
sufficiency of the contagious principle latent within the country, to
propagate the disease, whenever such circumstances shall favour its
action, and call it forth, without having recourse to the annual generation
of fresh matter, or virus, as necessary to account for the
re appearance of disease at each plague season.
May it be imagined that this agent resides in the atmosphere ?
But whether this peculiar constitution of the air consists in a super-
abundance, or in a diminution of the ordinary proportion of bxygene
in the atmosphere, or in the combination of some peculiar gas, or
gasses, diffused in it ; or whether the whole may be brought about
by variations of temperature only, connected with moisture or dryness
of the air, I must confess my inability to determine. Time
alone may unfold this mystery. Indeed, a series of eudiometrical
and other observations, continued for several years, at the diffe-
rent places in the country, might possibly throw some light upon
the subject.
CURE.
I am much disappointed to find that so little light has been thrown
on plague by the results of the French practitioners in Egypt.
I should have been happy if, after several years residence in a pes-
tiferous country, where I constantly searched for useful information,
my labours had been rewarded in the discovery of an improved, or
more successful treatment of plague. No such happiness has attend-
ed me ; and as my own experience is, I think, too limited to presume
to lav down a plan of cure, 1 must in preference content myself
in the relation of the experiments and practice of others, which
came to my knowledge while in the country.
For my own part, a prompt and early use of remedies appears to
me of the utmost importance: indeed, the interval between the
seizure and death is frequently
so
very short, that the trial for remedies
is limited. I treated the several cases which fell under
very
my care, as far as it was in the manner in fe-
practicable, adopted
vers of the malignant kind, with this difference,
that in the second
case I conjoined the trial of frictions. 1
oily Although cannot venture
to speak of the treatment of this disease, I would
generally yet
hazard an opinion, that where proper establishments are formed for
the reception of with
pestiferous patients, proper attendants, a cau-