_A simple Inflammation of the Tonsils, or of other Parts about the_
Fauces, _from its frequently happening without any considerable Hazard
attending it, is commonly look'd upon as a troublesome, rather than a
dangerous Disease: And every one, how little soever conversant in the
Practice of Physic, thinks himself qualified to conduct the Patient
thro' it with Safety_.
_If a Person complains of Pain in his Throat upon swallowing, with the
Symptoms of a Fever, nothing is thought more expedient, or more
frequently order'd, than Bleeding, Purging, and such Medicines as are
daily observed to remove Inflammations in general: And in simple
Inflammations this Method is warranted to be just, by Reason and
Experience._
_But a Disease hath of late Years appeared in this City, in many of the
neighbouring Villages, and according to the best Informamation I have
been able to procure, in several other Parts of this Nation; which, tho'
it may be taken for a common Sore Throat, or a simple Inflammation of
the Tonsils, by those who are unacquainted with it, is of a very
different Nature from the common one, and requires to be treated in as
different a Method: For it has been found by Experience, that those
Measures, which seldom fail of answering the Prescriber's Expectation in
this Case, frequently produce the most unhappy Consequences in the
other, and render a Disease almost certainly fatal, which of itself is
not often so, in this Country._
_Some Instances of Mistakes in this respect have not long since fallen
under my Observation; and there is still a Possibility of the like
happening, as the same Disorder continues amongst us: It seems therefore
necessary, that some Endeavours should be used to prevent them; and that
such a Description of the Disease should be made public, as might enable
Practitioners, who have not seen or known it, to distinguish it from
that to which it bears some Resemblance; together with an Account of the
Method of treating it, which hath in general been attended with
Success._
_There are several of the Faculty, who, I readily acknowledge, have it
more in their_ _Power to give the Public Satisfaction on this Subject,
than I have, but their constant Engagements in the Duties of their
Profession, will probably hinder those who are most equal to the Task,
from executing it so speedily as public Utility requires: Wherefore, as
some Information relative to it seems immediately wanted in several
Places, the following, tho' less perfect, will perhaps in the mean time
be neither unacceptable, nor wholly useless._
_If any thing in these Sheets should appear, to those who may be better
acquainted with the Subject to be inaccurate, or premature; if some
Things of little Weight should seem too largely insisted on, whilst
others of more Consequence are neglected, this Apology will, I hope, be
admitted;_ viz. _that to have delay'd the Publication of this Essay,
till it had received those Advantages that further Observations might
have added, would have frustrated my Design; which was, to prevent, as
much as possible, the Mistakes that might happen in relation to this
Disease, by speedily communicating the Remarks, which the Instances I
had seen had afforded._
_As this Disease appears to be the same with that which raged in_ Spain,
Italy, _and the neighbouring Countries, somewhat more_ _than a Century
ago; it may not be improper, in the first place, to give some Account of
it, from such of the Authors who then wrote upon it, as have come to my
Hands, previous to a Description of the same distemper, as it now
appears in this Country._
_'Tis said, that a similar, if not the same Disease hath long been in
some of our_ American _Colonies, and the_ West-India _Islands, but as I
have met with no Accounts of it from such as were competent Judges, it
must be left to Time, and further Inquiries, to determine the Truth or
Falsity of the Report._
_London_, Dec. 1. 1748.