Medicine in the 1700's

Yellow Fever was one of the many diseases that killed many people in the 1700s. It was very common for you to die from it because they didn't have cures for it.  The symptoms start with head aches, chills, and an ache in their back , arms, and legs.  Next comes a high fever for about 3 days.  After 3 days, the person's fever goes away, but only for a couple of hours.  After that, the high fever returns and as red blood cells are destroyed the skin and eyes turn yellow.  Next the person  vomitsblack blood because of bleeding in the nose, gums, and intestines.   As the person's pulse grows weak they start to become confused and delirious.  Also, tiny red bumps may appear on the skin.  Death follows shortly after.

 In 1678 doctors found a cure for small pox and measles, but didn't use the cure until 1721.  They also had a vaccine to prevent small pox.  Zabdiel Boylston of Boston successfully gave his son the vaccine which encouraged many other people to get the vaccine.

By the 1700s they didn't use cocaine as much as they used plants such as herds and widespread.  They would some times mix them to make a special medicine.

Hannah

Thanks to:

Leonard Everett Fisher. The Doctors, New York: Benchmark Books, 1997.

Jim Murphey.
An American Plague of a True and Terrifying story about the Yellow Fever epidemic in 1793, New York: Clarion Books, 2003.

Library of  the  College of Physicians of Philadelphia

Go check out some of my other friend and their cool information on other centuries of medicine.

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