such as to excite astonishment:, The extraordinary brilliant scarlet colour of the entire body from the other scalp to the soles of the feet was never seen in any was

disease, The from move

of the wrists and knees: a pitiable sight ; the face scarlet, the carotids throbbing violently aud heat apoplexy apparently imminent. The obvious contagiousness of the disease was auother source of alarm. What wonder if I felt I broke down under the severe cross-examinatiou of certain ladj enquirers as to whether it was measles scarlatina or whatuot ! Whether it was contagious visit the patient. As I or if they might go and to the camp the whole of the exanthemata were revolved

NOTES ON DENGUE FEVER.

By Surgeon-Major J.

Macartney, M.D.,

returned'

A.M.D.

of the readers of the Perhaps it may interest have followed Professor who Indian Medical Gazette on Dengue, to hear some further dissertation able Christie's from oue who, as far as account of that peculiar disease the last epidemic recoguize to the first was he knows, Professor Christie's previous of knowledge without any some

experience at Zanzibar. When stationed at Aden

in 1871 with the Rifle Brigade, hroke out in the Battalion stationed at the so-called Camp or town of Aden. to have been brought from The disease was believed have and may come, as stated Arab dhows, Zanzibar

an

epidemic

by

board the Americau barque by Professor Christie, on Essex early in April. Towards the end of May the crippled and wretched of the Somali inhabitants, was a sub-

aspect, especially but their condition attractject of universal observation, and it was not until the ed little sympathy or attention* beginning of July that the Europeans were attacked. But when ouce the epidemic began, its progress was ai*d men, women aud rapid; the hospitals were

At this time not the disease existed faintest suspicion learned that the I among the Europeans, but subsequently not altogether were Arabs and unacquainted Somalis

children

were

alike

prostrated.

of the

nature of the

Like Dr. Turner, who is'mentioned;-by Professor 'a wind from the desert" Christie, they attributed it to " wind in the it the equivalent of named and (Sbumal), I the forget word, it was not knees" in Arabic. Although

with it.

The circumstances attending its recognition briefly these. The Paymaster Sergeant and his family were all simultaneously attacked whilst living the Paymaster's house. Mrs. in, and taking charge of, a R., who was away at Marsbag, hill on the windward side of Aden, two miles from the camp, paid a visit to ber house and returned the same day to Marshag. Two days afterwards she was attacked, and her English maid

"

Denga."

are

the day followiug. The symptom8 were such as to cause on the no little alarm to friends, both patient's account and on their own, The victim was suddenly seized

foot, with.racking pain with inability to move hand in the lower iimbs as if the bones were about to break : violent fever rapidly followed, the temperature rising to or

105?:

agonizing

supra-orbital

pain,

with

photophobia

few hours the rash made its complained case of fair European females appearauce. This in the

was

of.

In

a

unable to turn the head of the back of the neck, or to stiffness and pain hand or foot from pain ; sometimes with swelling

patient lay helpless,

Netley course came to my aid. A having heard Professor Aitkeu hazy lecture on" Dangy or Breakbone Fever of the West Indies'

in my mind. Here the

recollection of

i

crossed my mind. A siugle consultation of Tanner's Practice of Medicine convinced me of its identity. Although the epidemic was becoming uuiversal at the it had not made its appearance at camp, at that time Steamer Poiut or the Isthmus Position among the military, and it was not for many days after that I was successful in having the disease recognized and returned as dengue ; brethreu being so conservasome of

professional

my tive as to hold out "

a

to the last

for the

11

Shumal" or wind from the desert" theory, and identifying it with disease described iu the Scriptures said to be due to

this

cause.

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