At a moment when the subject of cholera has become so deeply
interesting, the good of the public can surely not be better consulted
by the press than when it devotes its columns (even to the exclusion of
some political and other questions of importance) to details of plain
facts connected with the contagious or non-contagious nature of that
malady--a _question beyond all others regarding it, of most importance_,
for upon it must hinge all sanatory or conservative regulations, and a
mistake must, in the event of an epidemic breaking out, directly involve
thousands in ruin. In the case of felony, where but the life of a single
individual is at stake--nay, not only in the case of felony, but in the
case of a simple misdemeanour, or even in the simple case of debt--we
see the questions of yes or no examined by the Judges of the land with
due rigour; while, on the point to which I refer, and which affects
so deeply the dearest interests of whole communities, evidence has
been acted upon so vague as to make some people fancy that we have
retrograded to the age of witchcraft. Be it recollected that we shall
not have the same excuse as some of our continental neighbours had for
running into frightful errors--for we have their dear-bought experience
laid broadly before us; and to profit duly by it, it only requires a
scrutiny by a tribunal, wholly, if you please, non-medical, such as may
be formed within an hour in this metropolis; nothing short of this will
do. All, till then, will be vacillation; and when the enemy does come in
force, we shall find ourselves just as much at a loss how to act as our
continental neighbours were on the first appearance of cholera among
them; I say after its first appearance, for we find that they all
discovered, plainly enough latterly, what was best to be done. Small
indeed may be the chance of the present order of things as to
quarantines, the separation of persons attacked, &c., being changed
by anything which I can offer; but, having many years experience of
disease--having had no small share of experience in this disease in
particular, and having, perhaps, paid as much attention to all that has
been said about it as any man living, I should be wanting in my duty
towards God and man did I not protest, most loudly, against those
regulations, which shall have for their base, an assumption, that a
being affected with cholera can, IN ANY MANNER WHATEVER, transmit, or
communicate, the disease to others, _however close or long continued the
intercourse may be_; because such doctrine is totally in opposition to
all the fair or solid evidence now before the public;--because it is
calculated, in numberless instances, to predispose the constitution
to the disease, by exciting terror equal to that in the case of
plague;--because it is teaching us Christians to do what Jews, and
others, never do, to abandon the being who has so many ties upon our
affections;--because the desertion of friends and relatives, and the
being left solely in charge, perhaps, of a feeble and aged hireling (if
even such can be got, which I much doubt when terror is so held out,)
must tend directly to depress those functions which, from the nature of
the disease, it should be our great effort to support;--finally, because
a proper and unbiassed examination of the question will shew, that all
these horrors are likely to arise out of regulations which may, with
equal justice, be applied to ague, to the remittent fevers of some
countries, or to the Devonshire cholic, as to cholera.
Happily, it is not yet too late to set about correcting erroneous
opinions, pregnant with overwhelming mischief, for hitherto the measures
acted upon have only affected our commerce and finances to a certain
extent; but it appears to me that not a moment should be lost, in order
to prevent a public panic; and, in order to prevent those calamities
which, in addition to the effects of the disease itself, occurred, as we
have seen, on the Continent. Let then, I say, a Commission be forthwith
appointed, composed of persons accustomed to weigh evidence in other
cases, and who will not be likely to give more than its due weight to
the authority of any individuals. Let this be done, and, in the
decision, we shall be sure to obtain all that human wisdom can arrive at
on so important a subject; and the public cannot hesitate to submit to
whatever may afterwards be proposed. It will then be seen whether the
London Board of Health have decided as wisely as they have hastily. For
my part, I shall for ever reject what may be held as evidence in human
affairs, if it be not shewn that an individual attending another
labouring under cholera, runs no further risk of being infected than
an individual attending an ague patient does of being infected by this
latter disease. What a blessing (in case of our being visited by an
epidemic) should this turn out to be the decision of those whose
opinions would be more likely to be regarded by the public than mine
are likely to be.
Many, I am quite aware, are the professional men of experience now in
this country, who feel with me on this occasion, but who, in deference
to views emanating from authority, refrain from coming forward:--let me
entreat them, however, to consider the importance of their suggestions
to the community at large, at this moment; and let me beg of them to
come forward and implore government to institute a special commission
for the re-consideration of measures, founded on evidence the most vague
that it is possible to conceive; or, perhaps, I should rather say,
_against_ whatever deserves the name of evidence. Every feeling should
be sacrificed, by professional men, for the public good; we must even
run the greatest risk of incurring the displeasure of those of our
friends who are in the Board of Health. That we do run some risk is
pretty plain, from the conduct of a vile journalist closely connected
with an individual of a paid party, who has threatened us unbelievers in
generally-exploded doctrines, with a fate nothing short of that which
overwhelmed some of the inhabitants of Pompeii.
Let me ask why _all_ the documents of importance forwarded to the Board
of Health are not published in the collection just issued? Why are those
forwarded by _the Medical Gentleman sent to Dantzic_ not published.[13]
Why has not an important document forwarded by our Consul at Riga not
been published? Above all, why has not allusion been made in their
papers to those cases of PURE SPASMODIC CHOLERA, which have occurred in
various parts of England within the last five months, and the details
of which has been faithfully transmitted to them. If those cases be
inquired into thoroughly and impartially, and that several of them be
not found to be PERFECTLY IDENTIC with the epidemic cholera of India,
of Russia, &c., I hereby promise the public to disclose my name, and
to suffer all the ignomy of a person making false statements. Indeed,
I may confidently assure the public, that in at least one case which
occurred about two months ago, the opinion of a gentleman who had
practiced in India, and who had investigated the history of the
symptoms, the identity with those of Asiatic cholera, was not denied.
The establishment of this point is of itself sufficient to overthrow
all supposition as to the importation of the disease.
[Footnote 13: Since the above was written, I find that this gentleman
has adduced the strongest proofs possible against contagion.]
In the case of Richard Martin, whose death occurred at Sunderland about
two months ago--in the case of Martin M'Neal, of the 7th Fusileers,
which occurred at Hull, on the 11th of August last--in the cases at Port
Glasgow, as detailed in a pamphlet by Dr. Marshall of that place--as
well as several other cases which occurred throughout the year, and the
details of many of which are in possession of the Board of Health--the
advocates, "_par metier_," of contagion in cholera, have not a loop-hole
to creep out at. Take but a few of the symptoms in one of those cases
as taken down by the Medical Gentleman in charge,--"The body was cold,
and covered by a clammy sweat--the features completely sunk--_the lips
blue_, the face discoloured--tongue moist and very cold--the hands and
feet blue, cold, and as if steeped in water, like a washerwoman's hand;
the extremities cold to the axillæ and groins, and no pulse discoverable
lower; the voice changed, and the speech short and laborious. He
answered with reluctance, and in monosyllables." This man had the pale
dejections, and several other symptoms, considered so characteristic of
the Asiatic cholera; yet no spreading took place from him, nor ever will
in similar cases. With the exception of the vomiting and purging, there
is, in the state of patients labouring under this form of cholera, a
great similarity to the first stage of the malignant fevers of the
Pontine Marshes, and many other places, and the patient need not be one
bit the more avoided. Let this be, therefore, no small consolation, when
we find that, by the official news of this day, five more deaths have
occurred at Sunderland.
Nov. 9, 1831.