48 Notice of the Yellovi'Fe^eVy 



gangrene in any of them, though some of the patients 

 had had symptoms which strongly indicated its exist- 

 ence, for some time before tlieir decease. 



The black matter, usually found in the stomachs of 

 those who died after the fourth day, had none of the 

 chiu^acters of either blood or bile; for white paper, dip- 

 ped in it, was neither stained red, purple, yellow, nor 

 green, but appeared like it does when dipped in the 

 fluid of a gangrene. Yet, from the extravasated blood, 

 which always appeared on difi'erent parts of the sur- 

 face of the stomach of those who had the black vomit, 

 and the florid and extensive inflammation, observed in 

 the stomachs of some who died at an early period of 

 the disease, and had not vomited any black matter, 

 though the vomiting of every thing taken into the 

 stomach had been almost incessant, I am inclined to 

 think the black-coloured matter, which gives the ap- 

 pearance of cofiee-grounds to the contents of the sto- 

 mach (and which is generally known to be the signal 

 of a fatal termination) are only small portions of mu- 

 cus, coloured by the dissolved and black blood whidi 

 oozes from the dilated capillaries into it. It cannot 

 be bile, changed in its colour, in consequence of a 

 morbid state of the secretory vessels of the liver, be- 

 cause those vessels were seldom found diseased, and 

 because the bile in the gall-ljladder, v^ hich was gene- 

 rally full, retained its natural colour, or was changed 

 to the colour and consistence of syrup of rhubarb. 

 Nor is it probable, that the matter, which resem- 

 bles coffee-grounds, is bile, changed in its colour and 

 consistence after its entrance into the stomach, be- 



