| Description Of Item | Report giving an account of the contagious epidemics and other common contagious diseases seen by Dr Duncan and other medical practitioners in 1810 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and its surrounding areas. Three epidemics are described: Cynanche Parotidea (or mumps), Pertussis (or whooping cough), and Scarlatina Anginosa (or scarlet fever). Other diseases mentioned are Idiopathic Fever, Varicella (or chicken pox), and Variola (or smallpox). Duncan refers to a memoir by Dr James Home describing the Idiopathic Fevers treated in the clinical wards of the Royal Infirmary between 1 May and 1 August 1810. The report ends with a table outlining the number of burials of children and adults by month in Grey Friars, Canongate, Calton, West Church, Chapel of Ease, South Leith, and North Leith. |