An address delivered at the annual meeting of the Bath and Bristol District Branch of the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association, held at Bath, June 29th, 1854 / by John Smith Soden.

  • Soden, John Smith, 1780-1863.
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An address delivered at the annual meeting of the Bath and Bristol District Branch of the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association, held at Bath, June 29th, 1854 / by John Smith Soden. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    16 If time allowed, I could give other quotations fro]%. Dr. Bush. He is so agreeable a writer that I know few authors- from whose works .so inueh amusiug ap.fi,. .interesting matter might .. be selected as from the five volumes .pf.rjth^^^/jimerican sage. Dr. Dovar (whose name is well known in association with the powder that has preserved its reputation down to our time), pubhshed in 1733, a book, en- titled The Ancient Physician's Legacy to his Country, being what he has collected in forty-nihe years' practice. He was a sailor, as well as a phy- sician, and accompanied, if he did not command, a plun- dering expeditionto the South Seas. He gives the fol- lowing accoimt of his practice on that occasion. When we took the two cities of Guaiaquil, under the Line, in the South Seas, it happened that, not long before, the plague had raged amongst them. For our better security, therefore, and keeping our people together, we lay in their churches, and likewise brought thither the plunder of the cities : we were yery much annoyed with the smeU of dead bodies. Those bodies could hardly be said to be buried ; for the Spaniards abroad use no cofl&ns, but throw several dead bodies one upon another, with only a draAv-board over them ; so that it is no wonder we received the infection. In a veiy few days after we got on board, one of the surgeons came to me to acquaint me that several of my men were taken, after a violent manner, with that languor of spirits that they were not able to move. I immediately went among them, and, to my great surprise, soon discerned what was the matter.