Epidemiological Society, for the Investigation of Epidemic Diseases.

  • Epidemiological Society of London
Date:
[1852]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Epidemiological Society, for the Investigation of Epidemic Diseases. 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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    such an undertaking as ours, it may be somewhat undignified on this occasion to contemplate j but no cause, hovvever scientific, or however demonstrably contribut- ing to the general welfare of the community, can prosper without iiivolving the necessity for some pecuniary outlay, even though every one interested in it may be perfectly willing to bestow his personal services without remuneration. An enthusiastic admirer of nature is contemplating a delightful tour, and his mind is filled with a prospect of the charming scenery, the works of nature and of art, and the varieties of manners and of men he will have the opportunity of encounter- ing and observing,—the stores of useful and interesting information he will acquire. His thoughts are revelling in this enchanting future; but is there not a certain vulgar consideration to be kept in view ere he can realize all these pleasurable anticipations ? Must he not look to the state of his finances? Can he move one step without ascertaining whether he possess a balance at his bankers’ suflScient to carry him through his projected journey ? And if he should find that his resources are but limited, has he any other alternative, notwithstanding his brilliant hopes and bright imaginings, but in limiting the extent of his journey also? Now we are somewhat in the same condition as this traveller. We have a most pleasing, because a most useful, journey before us. We are enthusiastic in our desire to perform it,but we are limited in our progress by the state of our resources. Gentle- men, I am far from wishing to assume the tone of complaint. We are, I am well aware, but a young Society. We meet, I acknowledge, with as much support as we can fairly expect; and it may justly be urged, that we are bound to prove our pretensions by shewing what progress we are m.aking,—what useful purpose we are answering,—before we can claim to be liberally supplied with means of carrying on further operations. It is not to be denied, however, on the other hand, that the restricted amount of our funds does materially limit that progress and that utility. In order to impress on you what, indeed, must be so evident as to need no proof, it is only necessary to mention, among many others, two items of expenditure, inti- mately connected with our prosperity. One of these is the printing and extensive circulation of the Queries of our various Committees; the other, the publication by the Society, of the valuable papers read at our meetings. The former, which may figuratively be called sowing the seeds of information, is at present but imperfectly performed ; while the latter, which may be called gathering its choicest fruits, and offering them to the public, has not yet been even attempted. Let me add a third item of most useful expenditure in the collection of a library for consultation of works on epidemic diseases, or collaterally bearing on the subject. It may not be generally khown to my audience, that the bibliography of this branch of medicine is most extensive. A volume presented to us by Dr. Ferguson, entitled “ Bibliotheca Epidemiographica,” published in 1842, enumerates no fewer than 1,822 works on this subject; while the publications which have reference to the last visitation of Cholera in 1848-49, are so numerous, that they would well nigh double the number. Now it is one of the faults of writers of our day, generally acknowledged, but espe- cially charged upon them by Ilecker in his address to which I alluded the year before last, that they are not readers as well as writers, and that they do not study medical history, including, of course, the history of epidemics. The consequence is that, without being aware of it, they often go over beaten ground, and give us what they think new facts, while in truth they are only serving up, with some alteration of diction, facts which have long since been before the world. Nine-tenths of the works alluded to in the Bibliotheca above-mentioned, have probably not been read or heard of by any of us; and it is not, therefore, extravagant to suppose, that much valuable information may be contained in them, with which we are at present unacquainted. In this point of view, a special library, that is to say, containing exclusively books connected with our subject, becomes a highly desirable appendage to a Society like ours. i i & Gentlemen, it may seem superfluous in this, our third session, that I should deem It expedient to say a single word respecting the wide range as well as vast importance ot the task which we have set ourselves to perform. 1 have, however, reason to think, that many persons,—chiefly of course among those not of our profession,-- nfluenced by our name, take too narrow a view of the scope and objects of an
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