part6-第2章

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upon　their　spirits　insensibly；　and　they　seeing　little　of　it　till　they　fell

into　swooning；　and　faintings；　and　death　without　pain。

I　am　not　physician　enough　to　enter　into　the　particular　reasons　and

manner　of　these　differing　effects　of　one　and　the　same　distemper；　and

of　its　differing　operation　in　several　bodies；　nor　is　it　my　business　here

to　record　the　observations　which　I　really　made；　because　the　doctors

themselves　have　done　that　part　much　more　effectually　than　I　can　do；

and　because　my　opinion　may　in　some　things　differ　from　theirs。　　I　am

only　relating　what　I　know；　or　have　heard；　or　believe　of　the　particular

cases；　and　what　fell　within　the　compass　of　my　view；　and　the　different

nature　of　the　infection　as　it　appeared　in　the　particular　cases　which　I

have　related；　but　this　may　be　added　too：　that　though　the　former　sort　of

those　cases；　namely；　those　openly　visited；　were　the　worst　for

themselves　as　to　pain　…　I　mean　those　that　had　such　fevers；　vomitings；

headaches；　pains；　and　swellings；　because　they　died　in　such　a　dreadful

manner　…　yet　the　latter　had　the　worst　state　of　the　disease；　for　in　the

former　they　frequently　recovered；　especially　if　the　swellings　broke；

but　the　latter　was　inevitable　death；　no　cure；　no　hell）；　could　be

possible；　nothing　could　follow　but　death。　　And　it　was　worse　also　to

others；　because；　as　above；　it　secretly　and　unperceived　by　others　or　by

themselves；　communicated　death　to　those　they　conversed　with；　the

penetrating　poison　insinuating　itself　into　their　blood　in　a　manner

which　it　is　impossible　to　describe；　or　indeed　conceive。



This　infecting　and　being　infected　without　so　much　as　its　being

known　to　either　person　is　evident　from　two　sorts　of　cases　which

frequently　happened　at　that　time；　and　there　is　hardly　anybody　living

who　was　in　London　during　the　infection　but　must　have　known　several

of　the　cases　of　both　sorts。



（1）　Fathers　and　mothers　have　gone　about　as　if　they　had　been　well；

and　have　believed　themselves　to　be　so；　till　they　have　insensibly

infected　and　been　the　destruction　of　their　whole　families；　which　they

would　have　been　far　from　doing　if　they　had　the　least　apprehensions　of

their　being　unsound　and　dangerous　themselves。　　A　family；　whose　story

I　have　heard；　was　thus　infected　by　the　father；　and　the　distemper　began

to　appear　upon　some　of　them　even　before　he　found　it　upon　himself。

But　searching　more　narrowly；　it　appeared　he　had　been　affected　some

time；　and　as　soon　as　he　found　that　his　family　had　been　poisoned　by

himself　he　went　distracted；　and　would　have　laid　violent　hands　upon

himself；　but　was　kept　from　that　by　those　who　looked　to　him；　and　in　a

few　days　died。



（2）　The　other　particular　is；　that　many　people　having　been　well　to　the

best　of　their　own　judgement；　or　by　the　best　observation　which　they

could　make　of　themselves　for　several　days；　and　only　finding　a　decay

of　appetite；　or　a　light　sickness　upon　their　stomachs；　nay；　some　whose

appetite　has　been　strong；　and　even　craving；　and　only　a　light　pain　in

their　heads；　have　sent　for　physicians　to　know　what　ailed　them；　and

have　been　found；　to　their　great　surprise；　at　the　brink　of　death：　the

tokens　upon　them；　or　the　plague　grown　up　to　an　incurable　height。



It　was　very　sad　to　reflect　how　such　a　person　as　this　last　mentioned

above　had　been　a　walking　destroyer　perhaps　for　a　week　or　a　fortnight

before　that；　how　he　had　ruined　those　that　he　would　have　hazarded　his

life　to　save；　and　had　been　breathing　death　upon　them；　even　perhaps　in

his　tender　kissing　and　embracings　of　his　own　children。　　Yet　thus

certainly　it　was；　and　often　has　been；　and　I　could　give　many　particular

cases　where　it　has　been　so。　　If　then　the　blow　is　thus　insensibly　striking

…　if　the　arrow　flies　thus　unseen；　and　cannot　be　discovered　…　to　what

purpose　are　all　the　schemes　for　shutting　up　or　removing　the　sick

people？　　Those　schemes　cannot　take　place　but　upon　those　that　appear

to　be　sick；　or　to　be　infected；　whereas　there　are　among　them　at　the

same　time　thousands　of　people　who　seem　to　be　well；　but　are　all　that

while　carrying　death　with　them　into　all　companies　which　they　come　into。



This　frequently　puzzled　our　physicians；　and　especially　the

apothecaries　and　surgeons；　who　knew　not　how　to　discover　the　sick

from　the　sound；　they　all　allowed　that　it　was　really　so；　that　many

people　had　the　plague　in　their　very　blood；　and　preying　upon　their

spirits；　and　were　in　themselves　but　walking　putrefied　carcases　whose

breath　was　infectious　and　their　sweat　poison；　and　yet　were　as　well　to

look　on　as　other　people；　and　even　knew　it　not　themselves；　I　say；　they

all　allowed　that　it　was　really　true　in　fact；　but　they　knew　not　how　to

propose　a　discovery。



My　friend　Dr　Heath　was　of　opinion　that　it　might　be　known　by　the

smell　of　their　breath；　but　then；　as　he　said；　who　durst　smell　to　that

breath　for　his　information？　since；　to　know　it；　he　must　draw　the　stench

of　the　plague　up　into　his　own　brain；　in　order　to　distinguish　the　smell！

I　have　heard　it　was　the　opinion　of　others　that　it　might　be　distinguished

by　the　party's　breathing　upon　a　piece　of　glass；　where；　the　breath

condensing；　there　might　living　creatures　be　seen　by　a　microscope；　of

strange；　monstrous；　and　frightful　shapes；　such　as　dragons；　snakes；

serpents；　and　devils；　horrible　to　behold。　　But　this　I　very　much　question

the　truth　of；　and　we　had　no　microscopes　at　that　time；　as　I　remember；

to　make　the　experiment　with。



It　was　the　opinion　also　of　another　learned　man；　that　the　breath　of

such　a　person　would　poison　and　instantly　kill　a　bird；　not　only　a　small

bird；　but　even　a　cock　or　hen；　and　that；　if　it　did　not　immediately　kill　the

latter；　it　would　cause　them　to　be　roupy；　as　they　call　it；　particularly　that

if　they　had　laid　any　eggs　at　any　time；　they　would　be　all　rotten。　　But

those　are　opinions　which　I　never　found　supported　by　any　experiments；

or　heard　of　others　that　had　seen　it；　so　I　leave　them　as　I　find　them；

only　with　this　remark；　namely；　that　I　think　the　probabilities　are

very　strong　for　them。



Some　have　proposed　that　such　persons　should　breathe　hard　upon

warm　water；　and　that　they　would　leave　an　unusual　scum　upon　it；　or

upon　several　other　things；　especially　such　as　are　of　a　glutinous

substance　and　are　apt　to　receive　a　scum　and　support　it。



But　from　the　whole　I　found　that　the　nature　of　this　contagion　was

such　that　it　was　impossible　to　discover　it　at　all；　or　to　prevent　its

spreading　from　one　to　another　by　any　human　skill。



Here　was　indeed　one　difficulty　which　I　could　never　thoroughly　get

over　to　this　time；　and　which　there　is　but　one　way　of　answering　that　I

know　of；　and　it　is　this；　viz。；　the　first　person　that　died　of　the　plague　was

on　December　20；　or　thereabouts；　1664；　and　in　or　about　long　Acre；

whence　the　first　person　had　the　infection　was　generally　said　to　be　from

a　parcel　of　silks　imported　from　Holland；　and　first　opened　in　that　house。



But　after　this　we　heard　no　more　of　any　person　dying　of　the　plague；

or　of　the　distemper　being　in　that　place；　till　the　9th　of　February；　which

was　about　seven　weeks　after；　and　then　one　more　was　buried　out　of　the

same　house。　　Then　it　was　hushed；　and　we　were　perfectly　easy　as　to　the

public　for　a　great　while；　for　there　were　no　more　entered　in　the　weekly

bill　to　be　dead　of　the　plague　till　the　22nd　of　April；　when　there　was　two

more　buried；　not　out　of　the　same　house；　but　out　of　the　same　street；

and；　as　near　as　I　can　remember；　it　was　out　of　the　next　house　to　the

first。　　This　was　nine　weeks　asunder；　and　after　this　we　had　no　more　till

a　fortnight；　and　then　it　broke　out　in　several　streets　and　spread　every

way。　　Now　the　question　seems　to　lie　thus：　Where　lay　the　seeds　of　the

infection　all　this　while？　　How　came　it　to　stop　so　long；　and　not　stop　any

longer？　　Either　the　distemper　did　not　come　immediately　by　contagion

from　body　to　body；　or；　if　it　did；　then　a　body　may　be　capable　to

continue　infected　without　the　disease　discovering　itself　many　days；

nay；　weeks　together；　even　not　a　quarantine　of　days　only；　but

soixantine；　n