812 CONVERTIBILITY OK CHOLERA 



It has been generally supposed, that the plague 

 of Egypt, Smyrna, and Constantinople, is a radi- 

 cally different disease from the yellow fever of 

 Malta, Spain, the West Indies, and the southern 

 United States. But it has been satisfactorily as- 

 certained by accurate observations within the last 

 forty years, that, like yellow fever, the plague at 

 one time assumes the form of typhus, at another 

 time that of malignant remitting, or intermitting 

 fever, according to the locality, season of the 

 year, state of the weather, &c. that it is not 

 more contagious than any other form of malignant 

 fevers, that inguinal tumors are not essential to 

 its existence, being absent in many cases, and 

 sometimes present in yellow fever. 



That epidemic cholera is owing to the same 

 morbific constitution of the atmosphere which 

 produces malignant fever, would also appear from 

 the fact, that during its prevalence, it was far 

 more fatal in tropical and warm climates, than 

 in the temperate and higher latitudes. For ex- 

 ample, it was far more destructive in India, Ara- 

 bia, Syria, and Persia, than in the colder parts 

 of Asia ; and more so in the south than in the 

 north of Europe, where it prevailed chiefly during 

 summer and autumn. And it was far more fatal 

 in New Orleans, where the temperature of sum- 

 mer is tropical, than in New York, Pensylvania, 

 Maryland, or any of the middle and northern 

 states, where it also prevailed chiefly during the 

 fever season. In the year 1832, there were 3,200 



