IN Thasus early in the Harvest, the Weather was unseasonable, and on a sudden grew wet with northerly and southerly Wind, that lasted the whole time of the Pleiades, and even to their setting. The Winter was affected with northerly Winds, the Rains were great and heavy, attended with Snow, and for most part a Mixture of fair Weather. The Cold that happened was not very unseasonable. After the Winter Solstice, and when the West Winds begin to blow, there was very severe winter Weather, with much northerly Winds and Snow, and abundance of Rain without ceasing; over-head it looked stormy and cloudy. This State lasted without Remission to the Equinox. The Spring was cold, northerly, watery and cloudy. The Summer not very scoarching. The Ætefiæ blew continually. And about the rising of Arcturus (beginning of Harvest) a great deal of Rain fell again on a sudden, with northerly Winds. The whole Year being thus damp and cold, affected with northerly Winds; they past the Winter well for the most
Vol. I, p.15part, but in the beginning of the Spring, many were taken ill. Moist Inflammations of the Eyes, with Weepings, Pain and Indigestions. Little concreted Matter broke out with Difficulty on the Eyes of many Persons, returned again in most, and went away at last about Harvest. In the Summer and Harvest, Dysenteries, Tenesmuses and Lienteries were complained of; so were bilious Purgings of a thin, crude, griping Nature, and much in Quantity. Others again were watery, and many complained of painful Fluxes, that were also bilious, watery, ragged, purulent, and strangurious, not from any Fault in the Kidneys, but from one Humour or Complaint coming upon another. They likewise vomited Bile, Flegm, and indigested Food. They sweated too in general, the Humidity being great everywhere. These happened in some with a Fever, in others without; where all these happened they became consumptive. In the Harvest and Winter continual Fevers turned out, besides a few that were ardent, diurnal, nocturnal, Semitertians, perfect Tertians, Quartans and Erraticks. Every one of which happened to many, but Ardents to very few, and were least troublesome; for they were neither taken with Bleedings, except in a very small Quantity, and that but seldom, nor with Diliriums in all other respects they bore it well. The Crisis happened to most in a very regular Manner (Intermissions included) in 17 Days generally, without anybody's dying, or becoming phrenitick. Tertians were moreVol. I, p.16frequent and troublesome than Ardents. In all, the Progress was very regular, from the 1st Paroxysm to the 4th, and the 7th was a perfect Crisis, without any Relapse. Quartans attacked many at first, as a Quartan should, and many were seized with it as the Crisis of other Fevers and Diseases. These were of long standing, and indeed longer than usual. Quotidians, Nocturnals, and ErraticsLarge boulders carried sometimes hundreds of miles across land by ice. were, like wise frequent, and lasted long, both among those who were confined at home, and those who walked abroad. The greater Part could not get rid of their Fevers, during, the Pleiades, even till Winter. Convulsions were also frequent, even among Children, from the beginning, but not without a Fever. They came upon Fevers likewise, and lasted a long while in general, but without any Harm, except where other Circumstances had made the Case desperate. The other Fevers were altogether of the continual kind, without any Intermissions; and the Paroxsyms in all like the Semitertians, one Day better, another Day worse. And of all the Fevers that then reigned, these were the most vehement, tedious, and painful, beginning very mildly, but encreasing always, growing worse and worse upon the critical Days. After a little Abatement, they soon grew bad again, had stronger Fits upon the critical Days, and for most part worse. Shiverings were universally irregular and uncertain, seldom and very little in these, but more in other Fevers. Sweats were common,Vol. I, p.17 but here least of all, and so far from easing the Patient, that on the contrary they did him Harm. The Extremities were very cold, and could scarce grow warm again; nor were they altogether watchful, especially in this Case, but fell again into Comas. The Belly in all was disturbed, and in a bad Manner, but worst of all by much in these. The Urine for most Part was thin, crude, without Colour, and after a while appeared digested, as though critical, or had some Consistence in it, but yet was turbid, without any Sediment or Concoction; at least the Sediment was but little, and that bad and crude. In fine, all these Things were bad. The Fevers were likewise attended with Coughs, but I cannot say that I perceived either Good or Harm from them. Most of these Complaints were tedious, and irregular, difficult, and inconstant, and that without coming to a Crisis, either in those whose Case was desperate, or in these where it was not so: For if it intermitted a little at any Time, it soon returned again; and in the few that had the Benefit of a Crisis, it happened not at soonest before the 80th Day, and to some of these it returned, so that many of them were ill in Winter. In the greatest Part it went off with a Crisis, and these Things happened alike to these that did well, and to those who did not. As there was a great Want of the critical Variety that is usual in Diseases, the greatest and worst Symptoms attended many of them to the last, viz. a general Dislike to Food, especially where other fatal Circumstances appear'd.Vol. I, p.18 They were not indeed very thirsty out of Season, but, after a long Time, a great deal of Pain, and a bad Decay, Abscesses formed themselves, sometimes too great for the Patient’s Strength to bear, at other Times too little to be of any Service, so that a Relapse presently followed, and the Patient grew worse and worse; Dysenteries, Lienteries, Tenesmuses and Fluxes were added; some fell into Dropsies. Nausea, and great Uneasiness happened, with and without these. Whatever was very vehement, either dispatched the Patient soon, or was of no Benefit to him at all. Little Eruptions appeared, not equal to the Vehemence of the Disease, and soon after disappeared again, or Swellings behind the Ears that were by no means critical, and so signified nothing. Others were affected in the Joints, especially the Hip, where it proved critical to prevent; but it soon after got the better, and returned to its former State. It proved fatal to Persons of every Age, but chiefly to Children just weaned, and to these of eight or ten Years old, and those under the Age of Puberty. These were thus affected, not without the first Circumstances here mentioned, but the first happened to many without these. The only beneficial thing, and the greatest of the Signs then existing, and what saved many in the greatest Extremity, was the Strangury, for this Way the Disease spent itself; and it was a frequent Complaint, especially among these tender Patients, as well as among those which were not obliged to lye byVol. I, p.19their Illness; and to those that were, this proved a speedy and great Change throughout; for if the Belly was affected with ill-conditioned Fluxes, they stopped; Food in general became agreeable to them, and the Fever grew milder after this Crisis. But the Strangury Complaints were lasting and painful, and the Urine copious, thick, various, red, and partly purulent, not without Pain. All these recovered to a Man, as far as I know.
