A short account of the malignant fever, lately prevalent in Philadelphia : with a statement of the proceedings that took place on the subject in different parts of the United States : to which are added, accounts of the plague in London and Marseilles, and a list of the dead, from August 1, to the middle of December, 1793 / by Mathew Carey.

  • Carey, Mathew, 1760-1839.
Date:
1794
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A short account of the malignant fever, lately prevalent in Philadelphia : with a statement of the proceedings that took place on the subject in different parts of the United States : to which are added, accounts of the plague in London and Marseilles, and a list of the dead, from August 1, to the middle of December, 1793 / by Mathew Carey. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    ( 23 ) And, as a human being, I rejoice, that it has fallen to my lot, to be a witnefs and recorder of a mag- nanimity, which would alone be fufficient to refcue the character of mortals from obloquy and reproach. CHAP. V. Dijlrefs increases. Benevolent citizens invited to ajffijl the guardians of the poor. Ten volunteers, Appointment of the committee for relief of the fck. State of Philadelphia. IN the mean time, the fituation of affairs became daily more and more ferious. Thofe of the guardi- ans of the poor, who continued to ad, were quite oppreffed with the labours of their office, which in- creafed to fuch a degree, that they were utterly un- able to execute them. I have already mentioned, that for the city there were but three who perfevered in the performance of their duty*. It mull give the reader great concern to hear, that two of them, James Wil- fon, and Jacob Tomkins, excellent and indefatigable young men, wliofe fervices were at that time of very great importance, fell facrifices in the caufe of humanity. The other, William Sanfom, was likewife, in the execution of his dangerous office, feized with the diforder, and on the brink of the grave, but was fo fortunate as to recover. The deceafed perfons be- came daily more numerous. Owing to the general terror, nurfes, carters, and attendants could hardly be procured. Thus circumftanced, the mayor of the city, on the ioth of September, publifhed an add refs * With refpett to the guardians of the poor, I have been mi'underftood. I only fpoke of thofe for the city, Thofe for the liberties, generally, continued at their port ; and two of them, Wm. Peter Sprague, and William Gregory, performed, in the northern liberties, the very fame kind of fervices as the committee did in the city, viz. attended to the burial of the dead and the removal of the fick. Jn Southwark, the like tour cf duty was executed by Clement Humphreys, John Cornifh, and Robert Jones. Far be it from me to deprive any man of applaufe fo richly and [nzarJoufly earned. I only regret, that want of -Jeifute prevents me from colie&ing the names of all thofe who have nobly ditl.inguifhed rhemfelves, by their attention to the alleviation of the general calamity.