Table 3.
Key features of typhoid fever in Thucydides' description
Features present | Features not present |
---|---|
Fever | Rapid onset |
Diarrhea | Red eyes |
Rash (rose spots) | Runny nose, sneezing |
Red throat, hoarseness | |
Foul breath | |
Retching, convulsions | |
Sensation of intense internal heat | |
Livid red rash | |
Sleeplessness | |
Extremity gangrene | |
Blisters, sores | |
Death from intestinal perforation or hemorrhage in 2 to 3 weeks |
Adapted from Page DL. Thucydides' description of the great plague of Athens. Classic Q 1953;3:97–119.