My Recovery, ^ 
they applied the most powerful stimulants: indeed, even during the most 
critical stage they had given me within a couple of hours two bottles of 
champagne, had packed my whole body in ice, and wrapped it round 
with towels soaked in ice-water. In spite of four of the best medical 
men being in continual attendance, and of everything being done to avert 
the onset of the last stage of the disease, this nevertheless took place on 
the afternoon of the fourth day. With the appearance of the black vomit 
consisting of a coffee-like evacualtion that now set in and at the same 
time indicated the initial internal disintegration, the doctors gave me up 
as past help. The breathing and the heart beats were no longer notice- 
able and all had left the death-chamber. Mr. Glascott then returned to 
the room, laid his hand again upon my heart, bent his face once more 
over my mouth and still found breath. The quickly recalled medicoes 
renewed their operations and trie blood suddenly burst from mouth and 
nose to such an extent that it was six hours before it could be arrested. 
The hope of recovery was again awakened in my brother, and the doctor's 
“if your brother survives till midnight, there is hope," after cessation of 
the bleeding, were the first words of consolation from the self confident 
and well-known Dr. Smith. I lived over midnight and was also for twen- 
ty years the first case in Georgetown that had survived an attack of yel- 
low fever after onset of the black vomit, 
209. I accordingly remain indebted for evermore to my friendly and 
self-sacrificing physicians whose combined efforts I have alone, after God, 
to thank for my life. Probably none of them will ever see this expression 
!of my gratitude, yet I am forced to give utterance to it. And although 
1 am deeply indebted to all, 1 feel more particularly so to one of them, 
a countryman, become so dear to me, Dr. Koch of Nürnberg, who in the 
year 1833 had fled to avoid the Investigations into the then Student 
Corps, and proved himself to me in Georgetown an honourable and noble 
German: neither day nor night did he leave my bedside, until he was 
finally and fully convinced that all danger was past. It was through him 
also that 1 learnt 1 had had Yellow Fever — and that I had indeed been 
attacked was demonstrated at first sight in the looking-glass which he 
held before me, wherein — not myself, no, it could not be— but a citron 
yellow hollow-eyed bald-headed fellow met my astonished lustre-less gaze : 
even the whites of my eyes had taken on the colour. As previously men- 
tioned, the convalescence progresses in equal proportion with the rapid- 
ity of development: the almost visibly declining vitality at (lie outbreak 
of the disease is restored at just as quick a rate as soon as the crisis is 
over. Notwithstanding my having to learn to walk all over again, and 
that at first I could not move an arm, much less the whole body from one 
side to the other, I nevertheless made a fair recovery within tin* course 
of four weeks: of course, in addition to my strong constitution, the bene 
ficial and lively knowledge of the general sympathy, even on the part of 
those still unknown to me, contributed a good deal to this. Every morn- 
ing my room was brightened with the freshest and most exquisite of (low- 
ers: the most luscious fruits smiled at me from neatly plaited little bask- 
ets on all the tables and no sooner was my health sufficiently re-establish 
ed to allow of my leaving the room, than the Governor’s carriage came 
every evening to our house to enquire whether f might go for a drive: — 
