YANDELL on Spasmodic Cholera.



storms. The glare of the lightning at night was terrific,
and the dismal effect was enhanced by the continual calls at
the doors of the physicians and apothecaries, which render-
ed it but too evident that the pestilence was increasing in
violence. In the course of that day and night, I am satisfied
that more rain fell, than is ordinarily allotted to a month.
After these storms the rains ceased, and the temperature of
the atmosphere fell. Sunday morning was clear, cool and
beautiful, and with the brightening of the heavens, cheerful-
ness and hope were restored, in a measure, to the minds of
the citizens. They flattered themselves that the epidemic
had begun to abate, and that under such genial skies it
would soon disappear. A few hours taught them how un-
founded was their confidence. About 12 o'clock it became
manifest that it was growing more violent, and before night
the cases had evidently been multiplied four fold. The fa-
tality along Main and Water Streets was appalling, but by
this time no part of the city was entirely exempt. Mon-
day it was evidently still increasing. On Tuesday, the 9th
or 10th day after the appearance of the first case, it was
believed to have attained its acme, and on this day it is com-
puted that from 50 to 60 persons died, and that 1000, some
physicians think 1500, were ill of the disease. There was
no great difference in the mortality of Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday, and there is scarcely a doubt that in those three
-days Lexington lost from 120 to 150 of her citizens. This
mortality is the more striking contrasted with that of
former times when it is considered that the annual mortality
of the city for many years, with a population nearly as great as
at present, did not exceed 50-its average number of deaths
for a year, being thus crowded into a single day!
  The weather remained dry and warm until the end of the
week, and after Wednesday the epidemic visibly declined.
It was evident that there were fewer cases on Thursday than
on the day preceding, and from this time it subsided about as
rapidly as it arose. A number of families were severely
afflicted after this time, and a few fatal cases continued to



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