Letters on the cholera morbus; containing ample evidence that this disease, under whatever name known, cannot be transmitted from the persons of those labouring under it to other individuals, by contact / By a professional man of thirty years' experience, in various parts of the world [i.e. J. Gillkrest].

  • Gillkrest, J. (James), -1853
Date:
1831
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Letters on the cholera morbus; containing ample evidence that this disease, under whatever name known, cannot be transmitted from the persons of those labouring under it to other individuals, by contact / By a professional man of thirty years' experience, in various parts of the world [i.e. J. Gillkrest]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    disease. I have found a very considerable number of cases exhibiting, singly, or in partial combination, every possible degree, and almost every kind of increased action.”—“ Very full, hard, and quick pulse, hot skin, and flushed surface ; evacuations of bile, [you are requested to note this, reader] both by vomiting and stool, from the commencement of the attack. And, finally, 1 have seen some of those cases passing into the low form of the disease.”—“ The inference from these facts is plain, how¬ ever opposite these two forms of disease may appear, there is 710 essential or general difference between them.” After such authorities, and what has elsewhere been shewn, can any cavelling be for one moment permitted as to the cholera in Sunderland not being of the same nature as that of India? It may be now clearly seen that in India as in Sunderland, the same variety of grades occurred in the disease. In making my communications for the benefit of the public, it is my wish to spare the feelings of Sir Gilbert Blane ; but as he persists in¬ giving as facts often refuted tales of contagion, in order to uphold doc¬ trines which he must observe are tumbling into ruins in all directions, it becomes necessary that his work of mischief should no longer remain unnoticed. Not a single circumstance which he quotes relative to the marchings and the voyages of the contagion of cholera will bear the slightest exami¬ nation ; and yet he has detailed them as if, on his simple assertion, they were to be received as things proved, and, consequently, as so many points to be held in view when the public are in search of rules whereby they maybe guided. The examination of his assumed facts for one short hour, by a competent tribunal, would prove this to be the case ; here it is impossible to enter upon them all: but let us just refer to his manage¬ ment of the question relative to the importation of the disease into the Mauritius by the Topaze frigate, which he says was not believed there to be the case—and why was it not believed ? Sir Gilbert takes special care not to tell the public, but they now have the reason from me, at page 22. If a commission be appointed, half an hour will suffice to place before them, from the medical office in Berkeley-street, the reports alluded to from the Mauritius, by which it is made apparent that long before the arrival of the aforesaid frigate, the disease had shown itself in the Mau¬ ritius.* What is the public to think of us and our profession, when vague statements are daily attempted to be passed as facts, by contagionists enrages ? One more short reference to Sir Gilbert’s facts.—While referring to the progress of cholera in India, &c. from 1817, he says, in a note, “it is remarkable enough that while the great oriental epidemic appeared thus on the eastern extremity of the Mediterranean, the great western pestilence, the yellow fever was raging in its western extremity, Gibraltar, Malaga, Barcelona, Leghorn, &c„” Now, it is a historical fact that, at Gibraltar, this disease did not appear between 1814 and 1828—and at * I am aware that very lately certain memoranda have been referred to from the surgeon, but this is merely an expiring effort, and of no avail against the official Report drawn up.