* 
1797-1] 
yond the firft four or five days of its 
courfe ; but the complaint in the mouth 
and fauces does not terminate in lefs 
than three weeks: it fometimes conti- 
nues five or fix weeks, or even longer, 
producing, however, no farther trouple 
than a flight fenfation of roughnefs in 
the throat, with fome difficulty in fwal- 
lowing. 
Men are often affected with the aph~ 
thous fore-throat ; but women and chil- 
dren are much more liable to it. Where 
ere are many children in the fame fa- 
mily, all of them have this diforder about 
the fame time; in many inftances,I have 
obferved a return of it in Autumn, for 
feveral fucceflive years, 
The caufes of this complaint feem to 
be, expofure to cold air, or drinking cold 
liquors, after being much heated by exer- 
sife ; on intemperance, or an unwholefome 
diet ; and acrid effuvia taken into the 
lungs by refpiration. Thofe who attend 
perions affeéted with fevers, confluent 
fmall-pox, or the fcarlatina anginola, are 
very frequently affected with aphthous 
ulcerations in the mouth and throat, as 
-above defcribed. The aphthous fore- 
throat is likewife conneéted, on many 
occafions, with a miliary eruption vyer 
the furface of the body, which takes place 
in fummer, along with a flight fever. 
This difeafe requires a light foft diet, 
-and mild drinks, as whey, barley-water, 
toaft and water, &c. with moderate ex- 
ercife. The mineral acids. bark, or 
ether medicines ufually prefcribed for 
it, have but little effe€t in fhortening its 
duration. 
Aphthous ulecrations occur fympto- 
matically in a variety of difeafes, both. 
acute andchronic. They feldom fail to 
appear whenever the conftitution has 
been weakened by old age, or long con- 
finement from dyfpeptic and gouty com- 
plaints, diarrhoea, chlorofis, and phthifis 
pulmonalis, or other forms of heétic, in 
which the lungs are not particularly af- 
fe&ted. Apkthez alfo fucceed the meafles, 
fearlatina, eryfipelas, and fmall-pox : 
mm autumn, when the air is cold and moift, 
they occur in every cafe of «malignant 
fever, and almoft univerfally affect wo- 
amen foon after child-bearing. ¥ 
Retelaer, who profeffes to give an en- - 
farged account of the endemic apl he 
m Zealand, has only defcribed the fymp- 
gomatic kind of them, which he thinks 
forms a crifis of fevers. He refers their 
origin to fome peculiarities of the diet, 
air, foil, and tempereture of his coun- 
Account of Difeafes in London. 145 
try, fuppofing the complaint to be whol-’ 
ly unknown among other nations. Aph- 
thous ulcerations, however, occur in this 
place, in a much greater variety of cir- 
cumftances than has been mentioned by 
him: and,prevail fo extenfively at cer- 
tain feafons, that they are fuperadded to 
every acute difeafe. The fame remark 
was often made by Dr Huxham, during 
his long practice at Plymouth*. Aph- 
the thus occurring {vymptomatically, ne- 
ver produce any crifis or alleviation of 
the original fever, as Retelaer, and mo 
of the phyficians on the continent, have 
taught us to expeét, but feem rather to 
aggravate the difeafe, and prolong its 
duration. ; ) 
The London bills of mortality fate the 
following numberof deaths in. different 
difeafes, between the a8th of July and 
the rsth of Auguft : 
Afthma and Confumption - 295 
Aged - od o 64 
Apoplexy, and fuddenly - 1D. 
Bleeding malig me hae 2 ay aeons Rr 
Cancer - - = 4. 
Child-bed - = = I4 
Convuliions - = « 270 
Dropfy - - - go 
Fever - = - 406 
Gout a ” - - ~ $8 
Head-Ache - - - x 
Hooping Cough * mo gee 
Head-Mould-Shot - = ner 2 
Jaundice = 2 O..% 4 
Inflammation and Abfcefs ~ mene v 
Lethargy - = ieee | 
Meafles - - - - - rs 
Mortification - - 20 
Palfy - - 7 - x 
Rupture - - ag 
Small-Pox - $5 
Abortive and Still-borm ~ 2 43 
Stone and Gravel =: - 2 
Teething =! - | 16 
Water in the Head - - 
2 
Of the above number 345 diced under 
two years.of age; ss between feventy 
and cighty; 21 between eighty and nine- 
ty; and three between ninety and a hun- 
_ dred. 

* Julio. 1739. Diu duravit angina quadam 
aphthofa que omnibus fere acutis morbis acce- 
dit, preecipue puftulofis; jamque etiam perip- 
neumonicos vexat. Moleftum fané, et fepe 
periculofum eft fymptoma, ubi in febribus 
membrana faucium inflammatur et puftulis ob- 
fidetur. De Aere et Morb. Epidem. lid. ii. p. 29. 
Novembri, 1752, leves anginz innumere, 
etiam inter adultos ; et feré femper cum pute - 
lis. —Wix fané ulla febricula occurrit, cujus vis 
generis fir, nifi puftulis aut aphthis confequenti- 
bus, Compare Morton de Febril.f. 74) &o. 
STATE 


