More facts, or a reply to a pamphlet [by J. Hodgson] entitled A state of facts, &c / [John Heysham].

Heysham, John, 1753-1834.

Date:: 1783

Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: More facts, or a reply to a pamphlet [by J. Hodgson] entitled A state of facts, &c / [John Heysham]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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had been made properly, viz. in the center of the Antmm, it is more than probable they would have been immediately brought away by the injection, or we fliould have had an opportunity of extracting them with a proper inftrnment. In the Obfervations on the Bills of Mortality, it is faid, Mr. Hodgfon hawked the infefta about the town, country, &c. See. which I here in the fullelt manner acknowledge to be erroneous, and this acknowledgment I fhould have made altho* the certificate of Ann Liddell, Sarah Sewell, and IfabeVla l’orter, had never been publiihed. Inllead of the word Lnrvx I ought to have ufed Larva, viz. in the fingular number, for in truth lie only hawked one in fed about the town and country ; and that lie did fo I think nobody doubts. The firfl infedl was difeharged on the 28th of April, and was not lent to the Difpcnfary till about noon on the 2d of May ; and 1 imagine it would never have been fent if Mr. Mitchinfon had not pointed out to my ndverfary the necettity of fucli a mea- i'ure. I lhall now (late the evidence which appeared both before the Committee on the 41b of Jiine, and the General Meeting on the 22d of Atigull. Mr Watfon declared at both thefc Meetings. ‘- that he had gone to Mr. Hodgfon’s “ houfe feveval times, at my particular rcquell*, in order to get the in fed ; that one “ time he found Mr. Hodgfon in his liable, who had the infect in his pocket, and rc- “ fufed to fend it; that another time he was informed by fonie of Mr. Hodgfon’s appren- “ tices, that Mr. H. had taken the infect with him into the country ; and a third time “ that Mr. H. was gone to Capt. Knubley’s, and hail taken the infect along with him.” This evidence Mr. Hodgfon heard in the Committee, and did not attempt to contradict it ; therefore it was conlidered as true, not only by myfelf, but 1 believe by all the Gen- tlemen of the Committee. And that it was (hewn in the town was fo notorious-)-, that, I think I may almolt without a figure fay, the whole town had feen it. Nay fo early as the 29th of April a drawing had been made of it by fome of the Stampcry Boys; and if any perfon is anxious to know nvkat country people faw it before it was feat to the Lif- penfary, he may be fully fatisfied by making proper enquiry in the parilhes of Sebergham, Burgh, and Orton. Why Mr. Hodgfon obtained a certificate from Mifs Waugh and Mifs Betty, in prefe- rence to the hundreds who had feen it I cannot tell, hut I am very certain when the uote was written I did not know that he had taken it to their houfe.—Nor was it declared, as Mr. H. afferts in the State of Facts, at the General Meeting, that it had been flu wa at Finland Riggt* A Gentleman, to whom Mr. H. behaved with gmit illiherality, dated what evidence had appeared, concerning the infeCl, before the Committee ; and which was not refuted, or even contradicted, and therefore believed. I (hall difmifs this fuhjeft with putting one queflion to Mr. Hodgfon. What could be his reafon for keeping the mfc£t four or five days in hispnfleffi on ? perhaps no better an- fwer can be given than to a brother phyfician when he gravely a iked, What reafon Mr. Dacre’s horfe had for not winning the race at Baflenthwaite ? 1 he cafe of Hugh Sutherland naturally prefents itfelf again ; and here T ihink T may venture to aflert, that Mr. Hodgfon is the lullJlrining Surgeon. who difrega; ding the little prejudices of the world, and from motives, no doubt purely humane, puhlifhes Upon oath too, his own inability to perform an operation, which in the Committee, he reprclciited a? extremely eafy> and requiring little dexterity or anatomical knowledge.” (S Mr. Clarke was twice prefent when I fent him. t Some of the Gentlemen at the Committee had feen It. l) State of Fadls, page 5.