The Symptoms of Dengue Fever or Break-Bone Fever

loss of appetite; chilliness; lassitude; after one to four days, fever, lasting from nine hours to four days, attended by pain in the head, eyes, muscles of the head, back and limbs; then fever and other symptoms diminish; after three or four days, symptoms return; general eruption occurs which may resemble scarlet fever, measles, nettle-rash, or chicken-pox; in some cases, the patient suffers with nosebleed or bloody diarrhea.

This is not a very common disease, but several quite extensive epidemics have occurred in Charleston and other cities in the South. In one epidemic, all the inhabitants of a town of moderate size suffered from the disease with the exception of half a dozen who had had it before.

Fortunately, the disease is not very fatal, although recovery is usually very slow. It is thought by those who have observed it, to be both infectious and contagious.

The Treatment of Dengue Fever or Break-Bone Fever

The fever should be subdued by cool or tepid sponging, cool compresses, and cool enemas. Pains in the back and limbs are best relieved by warm baths, hot blanket packs, and hot sponging; cold should be applied to the head to relieve the headache. The diet should be very spare.