FishTales

A Newsletter History of the Fish/Morse Families

 

November 1998
Issue # 16


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Journal Of Dr. Leroy Milton Yale
(1802 - 1849)

1840 Nov. 26

The weather continues very unsettled, frequent Rains & wind changing daily. One or two cases of sickness of rather a doubtful character. Mr. Edw. Luce complains of pain in the region of the stomach. No appetite, tongue: white, inactive coat, pulse 84 weak, sweats some, countenance livid, has been complaining 2 or 3 weeks, 3 to 4 days complained of pain in back of head.

Mr. O. Robbins has been sick about 3 weeks with headach, loss of appetite, general soreness of the flesh, P. 96. Thin white coat on tongue, now improving, some appetite, sits up. Mrs. Elijah Hillman has had for some months frequent attacks of pain in right side & shoulder attended with nausea & vomiting, with general feverish excitement, during the attack which usually lasts from 1 to 4 days then eyes and skin become very yellow & sometimes the urine is very high coloured & the stools clay coloured. She is now affected with one of those attacks & has been for the last days. Now better, pain & sickness abated. Skin is very yellow.

 

Dec. 5

Today the wind has blowed very strong from N.E. & snowed. Now snow 2 to 3 inches deep, but much drifted. Nothing of importance has transpired since last dates in this place. No sickness. Cases above referred to are all convalescent.

 

11

Today the weather has been very clear & fine, rather cooler than for some days previous. Mr. Elijah Hillman was attacked this morning with apoplexy or paralysis. P.72, skin moist, breathing slow & [?] & continued so till about noon. Qte pale & some convulsive motion of left leg & arm, no motion of right & now 9 P.M. breathes quickly, P. 72, smaller & respiration 60 in a minute, insensible. No other sickness in the place except some chronic cases of scarlet fever in Chilmark of late.

 

13

Today the wind has been S.West all day. Sky cloudy & some rain. Elijah Hillman died this morning without having signs of consciousness since his attack.

 

1840 Decb 15
Politics

The day today & yesterday has been exceedingly fine & pleasant & very warm for the season. Wind S.West. Mr. Elijah Hillman & Mr. George [?]* were both buried today, the latter aged 81 years. There appears to be but little of interest passing here at present. Politics have subsided & a calm seems to be coming over the people which I hope will allow them to to attend to their own concerns without distraction. During the past political contest there has been a greater degree of excitement than probably ever existed before & yet there seems to have been no violence anywhere. The president elect Wm. H. Harrison has re'd a greater majority than was ever before given to any president in this country, though he had to contend against the opposing candidate & an army of office holders, who were working for their places, some to retain and some to get higher ones. The principle which was adopted by President Jackson of refusing all a participation in office who differed from him in opinion is in my judgment badly suited to the genius of our government & to the views of a great majority of the people of this country, yet he carried it to a greater extent than any preceding president & his successor followed closely in his footsteps, so that in some cases if a man was suspected of thinking differently or of being inactive for the party he was removed and another put in his room. I have always believed this course to be very injurious. In the first place, the president makes himself the president of a party & not the people & in the next place its direct tendency is to make men dishonest by their making professions of principles which they do not believe either for the sake of obtaining or retaining some office under government. It also has a tendency to raise up a multitude of demagogues who will harangue & talk loud & boisterous about public matters & mislead the minds [of] sober men from the just points at issue, much for the sake of gaining some personal or private advantage. It is an old maxim that honesty is the best policy and although many seem to think differently, I believe it to be as applicable to political matters as to any other matter & that it should be as strictly adhered to. For on any other principle I do not see that an elective government can long be maintained in its purity. Designing men may be thrust forward into high places by the force of circumstances & subvert the very principles on which the government is founded. The great mass of the people should be honest & they should be discerning & be able to select honest men to fill their offices, & no circumstances should ever prevent any man from casting his vote for that man whom he believes to be the most honest & most capable of filling the station required.

 

18
P. Newcombe
The ground still continues covered with snow very lightly & weather clear, wind N.W. Thermometer 8 P.M. 19 above zero. A few chronic cases of sickness is all that calls for medical attention & those but little. Mrs. Parnal Newcombe has been troubled for more than a year with Bronchitis, but did not visit her until about four months ago, when she was considerably reduced in strength & confined to her bed for three or four weeks. She raised some blood about that time by coughing & was very hoarse so as not to be able to speak loud except at times. Now voice more natural, less shortness of breath, some appetite, sits up all day, though rather weak - P. 72. She uses external irritation on the chest now only & takes a little wine. She has taken C. pit. sui. tr. iod., Elix. vitriol & some simple cough syrups.

 

Mary Carey
Mrs. Mary Carey, 2 or 3 years since lost her husband who died at Alexandria & when she returned from there she complained much of pain & oppression about the region of the heart dyspnoea [dyspnea] on motion or excitement. This subsided gradually by the use of some medicine & vesication over the region of the heart, so that in about a year she was able to sew and do some light work. She continued to be comfortable till about 6 months ago, when by a little over exertion she was attacked with a renewal of her former symptoms & a constant harassing dry cough, with a constant sense of suffocation sometimes extreme. The pulse varied very much. Sometimes 90 to 96, at other time 120 to 130 & extremely small, appetite extremely small, cti at times sublivid, urine scanty. These symptoms still continue, though much less severe, so that she can talk with more freedom.. Sits up all day, sews a little & knits. I have considered her case an affection of the heart, though I am at a loss to determine the precise part affected. Should think, however, that there was dilatation of one or both ventricles & perhaps some effusion in the pericardium. Pulsi do not intermit & never have. Feet & hands cold almost always.

 

1840 Decb 19
Shubal Weeks
Today the weather has been clear. Therm. most of the day at 29, at 8 P.M. 27. Wind N.W. Have been to visit Mr. Shubal Weeks. Last year he had an attack of suppression of urine, which continued to trouble him for some weeks, requiring the catheter. It was evidently dependent on an abscess in the kidney as he discharged pus from the bladder for some time. He however got the better of it & continued well until July last when he pitched a load of hay from a cart & the next day was attacked with his old symptoms, which have continued now more or less severe to this time & now he is weak. Appetite small, tongue clear, uses catheter once to three times a day, discharges at times considerable pus. Pain in right lumbar & inguinal region & also in pubis. Some fretiness in right iliar region & tenderness, with general fulness of abdomen. Aet about 70.

 

1841 Jany 3

Today the weather has been quite cold with occasional snow squalls. Now 8 P.M. Therm 15+ wind N.W. On the 1st it snowed some & in the evening there was a heavy shower of rain & carried off all the snow & ice on the land. Up to this time, greatest degree of cold was 8+ in the morning about a week since. The cases of sickness are those named above, Shubal Weeks, Mary Carey, P. Newcomb.

 

Gilbert Brush

Gilbert Brush has Rheumatism & has been troubled with it now for about 4 or 5 months, has previously had several attacks. He [is] about 25 years of age & belongs to a family who are all strongly disposed to the same disease. Now it affects the hip & lumbar region where it has remained for about 12 days, rendering him entirely helpless. He is now able to move slightly. No fever, good appetite.

 

Oscar Daggett

Oscar Daggett aet 23 was attacked about 2 years since with cough & in about a week after while walking began to raise copiously of very offensive matter. He soon began to fail, loosing flesh & strength with a troublesome cough. He continued in this manner for some months & then began to mend so that he went a short voyage to sea, but having a recurrence of the attack, came home. At times he has raised some blood & whenever there is a renewal of the attack, the expectoration & breath is very offensive, the former copious. Appetite small, loss of flesh & strength. Some signs of a cavity under the right clavicle. For some months past he has been quite comfortable so as to be about some light work, but now the cough is worse & the expectoration offensive, though not as much so as sometimes, is still out of doors daily. He has used external irritation of a variety of kinds, tart, aut., Vsc. & eniplasta. & the ITr. Iode. internally with the greatest advantage.

 

17

Since the last date the weather has been unusually warm for the season. About a week since there was a fall of snow to the depth of 4 inches, but the ground being entirely free from frost & there being no severe weather, it is now all vanished & today it has rained all day with the w. at South & S.E. & wind blowing very fresh. No more cases of sickness except slight colds & sore throats with which I am now afflicted. It commenced 48 hours ago with moderate headach, which continued about 12 hours & then there began to be some tenderness of the fauces & some pain in deglutition, fauces inflamed & one or two postules on each side of the size of a B. Shot, not much raised above the surface, glands subjacent slightly swollen & tender. Sterno. mastoid muscle very tender in upper half in length, appetite good, now soreness abated, deglutition less difficult & will probably subside in a day or two more. This seems to be the general character of the complaint in all who have it.

 

1841 Jany 17
Harriet Pease

Harriet Pease, aet. about 40, for the last 25 or 30 years has been subject to Epileptic fits, recurring once in one to 3 weeks. Although in youth she was possessed of natural powers of mind equal to those of her age, yet she soon showed signs of a shattered intellect & by a continued suffering, she has been reduced for the last few years to a state of dementia. About 3 or 4 weeks since she had a recurrence of the fits & soon after was attacked with diarrhea probably from crude ingesta & excessive eating. This soon reduced her strength & she is now for the last week been very low. Apthae [?] of the throat & mouth obstructing deglutition. Pulse small 96 to 108, for three days has not been able to swallow anything. Now swallows a little drink - emaciated - sunken - restless.

The others who were mentioned the 3rd are somewhat better. Should the weather continue as warm & open as at present, I should expect there would be many complaining, though for the last twelve years, this place has been visited with two severe epidemics. In 1830, the Typhoid fever prevailed to a considerable extent, but only one death occurred, & the year following the Dysentery prevailed & carried of[f] a number of children. Since that, we have had the measles once or twice prevalent in this place, but very mild. Several times have had the Influenza, but with the exception of once it has been attended with no death. Fevers are very rare. Scattering cases of Lung fever. Typhoid &c happens almost every year. Cholics & Cholera Morbus & Cholera Infantine occur occasionally in their seasons. Phthysis is rather common, though I should judge that the proportion of Deaths were less here than on the main or in other parts of this State. One other disease is common here among nursing women, which prove fatal very soon if neglected a short time. It consists in an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the mouth & whole alimentary canal. It often makes its appearance like cankers, with some small ulcers in the mouth & is soon felt in the stomach &c. The mouth is extremely tender & red when there are no ulcers. The stomach is acid or, if not, the food produces burning & uneasiness & is often rejected. The skin grows pale & chlorative, pulse small & quick, flesh wastes, diarrhea troublesome & the patient soon sinks if not [?]. The only course I have found the answer is to take the child from the breast immediately & support the system by some tonics, mineral generally answers best, such as Sulf. Trin. Nit. argent. Sometimes astringents for the diarrhea, as Tri. vino.

 

19

Yesterday & today the weather has been clear & cold. This morning the thermometer was down to 20 at 9 A.M., since which it has become much warmer. On the 17th a bark with Thos. West pilot was run on shore in the storm in running back from Nantucket Point & struck on the shore in East Falmouth. It was so thick at the time that they could not see the sand although but a few yards from it.

 

20

Harriet Pease died this morning without any material alteration in symptoms, her strength gradually failing from the 17th. Weather has been cool today, a little flight of snow this morning which soon cleared off & the day has been clear. Wind N. & N.E. & now threatens a storm, the wind rather increasing from N.E. & cloudy.

 

29

Since the last date the weather has been unusually warm & pleasant for the season, for 4 or 5 days the air was mild as May, the night being cooler & freezing a little. Today the wind has been N.E. & this afternoon it began to snow, but has now 9 P.M. turned to rain. There is no frost in the ground & it is quite settled. There are at present many complaining of colds & sore throat, but very few severely attacked. Should the weather continue as warm as it has been for the last week, I should expect considerable sickness.

 

1841 Feby 5

The weather continues warm & pleasant, no snow & but very little ice or frost in the ground. This evening there occurred a total eclipse of the moon, which was only obscured a few moments after its commencement by the clouds & then atmosphere became clear & continued so during the Eclipse.

 

7

Weather still mild, clear, winds for several days very moderate. No sickness except chronic cases & a few catarrh affections.

 

9

Some time last week there was a debating club organized here in the Village & last evening they held their first meeting for business. The subject for discussion was, ought this Island be exempt [from] military duty. Decided by a tie vote. There was also a meeting of the Baptist Society in which they voted to appropriate their surplus funds, about $400 dollars [sic] to the object of building a Parsonage & Vestry. No where news of late of any interest to us. There appears to be quite a spirit of enterprise in getting out small vessels for the Atlantic ocean. Some 2 or 3 have been bought to be fitted at Edgartown & many in other parts of the country. For my own part I am in doubt as to the best course to pursue in consequence of some apprehensions of War with Great Britain. The N. Eastern boundary line is not yet defined & concluded upon & there is many words growing out of that & a discontented frontier. There are some questions relative to the disturbance which took place in Canada 2 or 3 years since, the burning of the Carolina steamer up there, the subsequent arrest of McLeod, who committed the act & a demand for his release by the British government.** Then the searching of several American vessels on the Coast of Africa by British armed vessels & their seizure under the pretext that they were engaged in the slave trade. Then the occupancy of the Oregon Territory by the British government, or their subjects with attempts to maintain jurisdiction over it, and another thing is the blockade of the Chinese ports interrupting & embarrassing our trade with that nation. Among all these questions there is great probability in my mind that some of them or altogether may sooner or later bring the two countries into conflict with each other, though there is everything on the side of interest in commercial relations to prevent it & it is hoped that the latter interest may predominate. What will be the policy of the President elect on this subject, I know not. Much however will depend on the manner in which he treats the subject no doubt in determining whether we have peace or war & we have to wait till his views are more fully developed.

Weather has been rather cooler the last 2 or 3 days & nights, but still very pleasant. Now the wind is East & cloudy with an appearance of a storm.



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 Fish Tales
A Newsletter History of the Fish/Morse Families

Tom Morse, Publisher
Ali Morse, Editor

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