"WALKING CASES" OF YELLOW FEVER.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume 6, Issue 595, 9 January 1879, Page 2

" WALKING CASES" OF YELLOW FEVER.

A New Orleans physician, m a private letter, writes that he follows the old treatment m yellow fever, and ■, has had over 100 cases, with only v sixteen deaths. Two of the lattetiJ were * walking cases.' The term is a technical one, understood m yellow fever districts. "A ' walking case ' ig a patient who refuses to go to bed, and keeps his feet till he drops dead. Sometimes he refuses to admit he has yellow fever ; sometimes he realises that he has the dread disease, and despairs of recovery from the start. Sometimes the ' walking case ' manifests the most abject fear, and again he displays the courage and indifference of a spy led out to exeoution. Sometimes the ' walking' is confined to the patient's chamber, and then again he roams the streets, with the seal of death on his brow, the dreadful black vomit oozing from his lips—' an object of horror to all he encounters. This stalking death is hot an uncommon feature of life m NewOrleans during the prevalence of an epidemic. Many who passed through the fearful ordeal of 1 853, m whioh nearly 8000 victims perished, will ;remember the case of John C, a Memphis printer. He was a man of splendid physique and handsome presence, but an unfortunate love affair had made him reckless. He developed a ' walking case, of yellow fever, and for two days and nights roamed the streets and frequented the drinking houses of the city, m spite of all his friends could do, finally falling on the street, and dying before he could be conveyed to his room. He would wipe the black vomit from his lips, hold up the handkerchief, critically examine the horrible exudation, and remark, with grim humour that his ' coffee' didn't agree with him that morning. Death is dreadful at best, but no other diaeafle presents so great a horror as a 'walking case' of yellow fever. ' - *—~- m ~~—k+*~*kmmmmmmmmmmmmm .