28 On the Tellovj-Fe'aer of Charleston. 



know not. But it never affected white people, not even 

 those in the prison-ships. During this period, white 

 persons were severely afflicted with an epidemic fever, 

 of short continuance, and attended with little danger. 

 It was accompanied with distressing pains, all over 

 the body and extremities, and from thence was deno- 

 minated the break-bone-fever. I considered it as a 

 rheumatic-fever, afi'ecting principally the muscular 

 parts. Our usual autumnal intermittents were, at 

 this time, almost obliterated, as very few of them 

 were met with in practice. After this, another 

 change of atmospheric constitution took place, and, 

 from 1783, we were severely handled, for four or five 

 years, with scarlatina anginosa, sometimes attended 

 with croup. When this last symptom was present, 

 the patients universally died. This disease gave way, 

 at last ; and, from another constitutional change in 

 the atmosphere, the influenza dashed in upon us, at- 

 tacking, indiscriminately, persons of all colours. In 

 process of time, this retired, and, unfortunately for 

 us, in the year 1792, the box of Pandora was again 

 opened upon us, and a complaint, far more deadly 

 than any of the former (I mean the yellow-fever) has 

 been exercising its fury, for several years, almost ex- 

 clusively among white strangers to our city. 



The foregoing facts are incontrovertible ; and from 

 thence it results, that wc must look for the source of 

 yellow-fever to some other causes, than what have 

 been coiTjmonly assigned. What these causes are, I 

 do not pretend to ascertain. I am, however, decid- 

 edly of opinion, that heat, combining with some un- 



