Second report on quarantine : yellow fever : with appendices / [by the] General Board of Health.

  • Great Britain. General Board of Health
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Second report on quarantine : yellow fever : with appendices / [by the] General Board of Health. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    146/428 (page 138)
    188 Report of Dr. Gillkrest. (laloupe, to which place he had proceeded from Paris, for thf sole purpose of making investigations,—proceeds thus;—This is nothing!—It Avas, on the contrary, then, that Dr. Chervin conceived the wisest and vastest plan, that ever a medical man formed for the interests of humanity. It was no longer sufficient for him, that he had satisfied himself that the Yellow Fever was not contagious in Guada- loupe; it became necessary to ascertain whether it did not possess that character in other localities and in other latitudes and climates. It was, above all things, necessary to convince the Governments of Europe, so that commerce might be freed from unnecessary precautions, felt to be burthensome, and that nations might be saved great expense in sanitary establishments. In attaining his object, Dr. Chervin was only impelled by his ardent philanthropy—no other means, but the sacrifice of his patrimony—no support, but his own inclination and physical powers—let it be declared, to the honour of humanity, that by such means alone, enterprises of this kind could be accomplished; and in fact, what a powerful Government could scarcely hope to obtain at great expense. Dr. Chervin proposed to himself to -obtain. Dr. Chervin performed this gigantic undertaking, to which the history of medicine furnishes no parallel, in a fortunate manner, but with unheard of efforts, and perseverance above all praise. Speaking of his having collected the evidence of hundreds of medical men in all parts of the world, Avhere the Yellow Fever is known to prevail, the Report continues— He visited, in eight years, all the Colonies belonging to France, England, Spain, Holland, Denmark, Sweden;—he visited all parts of North America, where the YelloAv Fever had shown itself, from New Orleans to Portland, in the state of Maine ;—so that from Cayenne to this last place, he traversed over and made investigations in 37 degrees of latitude. It [the Commission] therefore proposes to adjudge him a prize of 10,000 francs; undoubtedly a poor reward for the many sacrifices which he must have made; but when a person has, like Dr. Chervin, merited so much from science and humanity, and shown such disinterestedness, on voit la Couronne et nonpas sa valeur. Strongly as I believe that many have been unreasonably biassed in their opinions as to the contagious nature of Yellow Fever, yet I most readily admit that others, among whom are some of my personal friends, have been misled by the sen<Mance of contagion, so frequently occurring, and by their insufficient investigation of all the circumstances Connected witJi the subject.