A.D. History of the World

1388 University of Cologne. 1392 University of Erford.

1393 Arrival of Manuel

Chrysolorus in Italy.

1395 Birth of Bessarion.

1401 University of Cracovia.

History of Medicine. |A.D. History of the World. History of Medicine.

Peter of Tussignana.

Forli.

France.

Linacer.

1410 1413

1463

Death of James of 1464 Cosmo de Medicis.-Hans of Dockenbourg.

Death of Ladislas of Anjou, king of Naples.

in

France.Ali ben

Abi'l Hazam Alker-1465 schi ben Nasis.

Valescus of Tarentum. 1466 Birth of Erasmus.
-James Ganivet.
Birth of Peter Pinctor.

1468

1428

Gerson.

Hans of Dockenbourg cures Matthew king of Hungary of a wound. Birth of Peter Baiero.-Gregory Volpi.

1470 Birth of John Francis John Platearius.

Death of Cermisoni.-1474 Mengo Bianchelli.

gainst the Nominals.

1475 Birth of Lucas Gaurico, and of Michael Angelo Buonarotti.

1477

Poleastro.-Birth of Augustine of Niphus.

Birth of Martin Curtius. Germain Colot, a litho

tomist, operates on a criminal for the stone. Birth of Bartholomew Maggi.

MEMORANDA.

Quebec.-A considerable fall of snow on the 11th Oct. depth three and a half inches. Boston.-31 deaths for the week ending Oct. 21-Still born 5, Consumption 4, Fits 3, Croup 2.

New York-100 deaths for the week ending Oct. 23.-Consumption 13, Convulsions 4, Croup 8, Dropsies 7, Fevers 7, Inflammations 9, Intemperance 5! Old age 5, Small Pox 6! Still bora 7! unknown 5.

There was a slight fall of snow Oct. 30. Philadelphia.-At the late exhibition of the Franklin Institute, several cases of beautiful surgical instruments, made in this city, were much admired; they would compare with the best abroad.

Baltimore.-29 deaths for the week ending Oct. 25.-Consumption 3, Infantile unknown 4! Bilious fever 3, Pleurisy in the head 1!

Charleston.-26 deaths from Oct. 10 to Oct. 17.-Yellow Fever 12.-Two deaths Oct. 19, from yellow fever. Two deaths from the same on each of the three succeeding days. The fever has much abated, and seems declining.

Thermometer, (3 P. M.) Oct. 10, and succeeding days as follows: 75°: 76°: 80°: 80°:

799: 71: 71°.

Savannah.-Still very healthy;-
-no death

for the week ending Oct. 20.

New Orleans.-The weather has been much cooler lately, and seems to have had a favourable influence over the yellow fever. The mortality is much less than it was. There were 15 interments on the 27th and 28th of Sept., mostly of yellow fever:-21 on the 29th and 30th; 28 on the 1st, 2d, and 3d of Oct. Thermometer, (2 P. M.)-Sept. 26 and succeeding days, 890: 88°: 87°: 80o: 78°: 76°: 770-no rain.

The South.-An unusual degree of health has been enjoyed this year throughout all the southern cities, with the exception of Charleston and New Orleans, and they have been afflicted with a more than ordinary degree of sickness and mortality.

Mexico.-Vaccination is much encouraged: physicians duly authorized by government are engaged in inoculating persons of all classes.

Published (every Thursday) BY ROBERT DESILVÉR. At $3 per annum, payable in advance.

PHILADELPHIA, AS RESPECTS MEDICAL AFFAIRS.

therewith.

In looking over the useful and interesting work lately published in our city by Carey and Lea, under the title of Philadelphia in 1824," we were struck with the mass of information it contains relative to medical affairs, and other subjects directly or indirectly connected We certainly rose from its inspection, wiser on this score than we were before; and for the benefit, not only of those who may not have seen the work, but for those also, who like ourselves have read it, but wish for reference sake to have this particular part selected from the rest, we give, in our present number, a condensed abstract of whatever bears upon the profession of medicine.

The first thing of this kind that occurs, is a notice of the health of our city, the degree of which is there estimated by the bills of mortality, derived from authentic sources, and published by the board

No. 22.

of health. From these, by comparison with those of other cities, it is found that our climate is at least as favourable to

health and longevity, as that of any other city in the United States. A paper, by Dr. Emerson," on the mortality of Philadelphia, for 1823," is annexed, at the conclusion of which, we find the followThat there is no reason ing sentence. to believe any material difference exists as to the healthfulness of these two cities,

(Philadelphia and New York,) under ordinary circumstances, fully appears from the ensuing table.* The superiority in this respect, is indeed rather in favour of Philadelphia.

In the list of professions, occupations, &c. we find 117 physicians, 3 surgeons, 13 chemists, 6 surgeons' instrument-makers, 1 truss maker. The surgeons are here mentioned as distinct from the physicians-we were not aware there were

* Vide Dr. Emerson's paper.

any such, as the degree of M. D. is conferred upon all alike. No mention is made of the apothecaries, (a numerous class) midwives, bleeders, dentists, &c. Under the head of Charitable and Humane Institutions and Societies," in which our city is by no means deficient, and for the accomplishment of whose objects, it is computed, not less than 600,000 dollars are annually expended, we notice the Pennsylvania Hospital, under the direction of twelve managers, and eight physicians and surgeons, and which maintains from 210 to 250 patients at one time in the house.-The Philadelphia, or Central Dispensary, which maintained in 1823, 5041 patients, and has attached to it, eight attending and four consulting physicians and surgeons. The Northern Dispensary, which maintained in 1823, 1508 patients, and has attached to it, four attending and four consulting physicians and surgeons.-The Southern Dispensary, which in 1823 maintained 2869 patients, and has six attending physicians and surgeons.-The Public Alms House, in which there is an infirmary, and in which clinical lectures are delivered to the medical class during the winter,by the Professors of theMedical School; attached to this is a Childrens' Asylum.-An eye and ear Infirmary, whose surgeons in 1823 had 176 persons under their care.— A Lunatic Asylum, situated near Frankfort, visited daily by a physician, (consulting physicians attending from Philadelphia, when necessary) and into which 141 persons have been admitted since it was opened (1817).-The Humane Society, for the aid of persons, whose vital functions are suspended in consequence of drowning, suffocation, &c.-The Vaccine Society, established for the purpose of Vaccinating the poor at their respective dwellings, free of expense.-The Society for the relief of the children of the poor, established for the relief of infants afflicted with the diseases incident to them in the summer season.

There are also in Philadelphia, besides the above, upwards of 150 societies, most of which are mutual benefit associations

of tradesmen and mechanics, for the support of each other in sickness and infirmity; and there is a fund for the relief of persons in the City Hospital during the existence of the yellow fever, created by a legacy of 1000l. from John Bleakley.

Passing over for want of time and space some minor circumstances, we next meet with notices of the following associations:-the College of Physicians of Philadelphia-The Philadelphia Medical Society-The Medical Association of Philadelphia-The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, (the only one of the kind in the United States.)-The Phrenological Society.

The next article, headed Literature and the Press, in mentioning the periodical works, notices the following in the medical line, viz. (Quarterly)-Chapman's Journal--Medical Recorder Journal of Foreign Medicine. Another quarterly medical publication has since made its appearance under the name of the Medical Review.

The Esculapian Register is said to be published "occasionally," for which read weekly.

There is a medical library at the Hospital-another at the Alms House-and another belonging to the Medical Society, &c.

The Medical School of Philadelphia next attracts our attention; we cannot however, mention particulars, but must refer our readers to the work itself. It is there stated erroneously, that the lectures begin on the first Monday of October: it should be November.

Besides the lectures delivered at the University, there are others at the College of Pharmacy-Pennsylvania_Hospital-Alms House Infirmary-Philadelphia Museum-Friends' AcademyFranklin Institute-Medical SocietyPhrenological Society-and nearly 30 private courses of lectures, all more or less directly connected with medical subjects.

The physicians appointed by the Guar dians of the poor, are not we believe

here noticed: they receive $50 more per annum than the physicians of the Dispensary, who are content with the honours of their office!

Among the officers of the city, is a vaccine physician, with a salary of $400 per annum: if we are not mistaken, there is one also for Southwark.

The Board of Health, Quarantine laws, &c. are also duly noticed.

We are aware that a little more detail in some instances would have been acceptable, but as we wished to have the whole in the present number, it was inadmissible.

Of the PLAGUE AT FLORENCE, A.D. 1348, as related by Boccacio, in the Introduction to his Decameron.

The distressing scenes which took place in London, during the Plague of 1665, have been well delineated, by the celebrated Daniel de Foe, author of Robinson Crusoe, under the character of a Sadler. Upon a smaller scale, the same scenes were witnessed during the eventful period of the Yellow Fever in Philadelphia, in 1793, and have been collected together in a Treatise on the subject by Mr. M. Carey. The account given by Boccacio, of the Plague at Florence, although less extended in detail, will be found not less interesting to the medical reader, than either of the others. When

it is considered that nearly 500 years have elapsed since Boccacio wrote, and due allowance is made for his difference of profession, we must regard his account as a choice and valuable acquisition, which deserves to be separated from the ingenious collection of Tales which in some measure owed their existence to the accidental circumstance of the extension of the Plague.

"In the year of our Lord 1348, there happened at Florence, the finest city in all Italy, a most terrible plague; which, whether owing to the influence of the planets, or that it was sent from God as a just punishment for our sins, had broken out some years before in the Levant, and after passing from place to place, and making incredible havoc all the way, had

now reached the west; where, spite of all the means that art and human foresight could suggest, as keeping the city clear from filth, and excluding all suspected persons; notwithstanding frequent consultations what else was to be done; nor omitting prayers to God in frequent processions; in the spring of the foregoing year it began to show itself in a sad and wonderful manner; and, different from what it had been in the east, where bleeding from the nose is the fatal prognostic, here there appeared certain tumours in the groin, or under the arm-pits, some as big as a small apple, others as an egg; and afterwards purple spots in most parts of the body; in some cases large and but few in number, in others less and more numerous, both sorts the usual messengers of death. To the cure of this malady neither medical knowledge, nor the power of drugs, were of any effect; whether because the disease was in its own nature mortal, or that the physicians (the number of whom, taking quacks and women pretenders into the account, was grown very great) could form no just idea of the cause, nor consequently ground a true method of cure; which ever was the reason, few or none escaped; but they generally died the third day from the first appearance of the symptoms, without a fever or other bad circumstance attending. And the disease, by being communicated from the sick to the well, seemed daily to get a head, and to rage the more, ás fire will do, by laying on fresh combustibles. Nor was it given by conversing with only, or coming near the sick, but even by touching their clothes, or any thing that they had before touched. It is wonderful, what I am going to mention; which had I not seen it with my own eyes, and were there not many witnesses to attest it besides

myself, I should never venture to relate, how

ever credibly I might have been informed about it: such, I say, was the quality of the pestilential matter, as to pass not only from man to man, but what is more strange, and has been often known, that any thing belonging to the infected, if touched by any other creature, would certainly infect, and even kill that creature in a short space of time: and one instance of this kind, I took particular notice of; namely, that the rags of a poor man just dead, being thrown into the street, and two hogs coming by at the same time, and rooting amongst them, and shaking them about in their mouths, in less than an hour turned round and died on the spot. These accidents, and others of the like sort, occasioned various fears and devices amongst those people that survived, all tending to the same