Minutes of the proceedings of the second annual meeting of the Quarantine and Sanitary Convention : convened in the city of Baltimore, April 29, 1958.

  • National Quarantine and Sanitary Convention
Date:
1858
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Minutes of the proceedings of the second annual meeting of the Quarantine and Sanitary Convention : convened in the city of Baltimore, April 29, 1958. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

    17/36 (page 13)
    AFTERNOON SESSION. 4 o'clock P. 31. The minutes of the Morning's Session were read and approved. Dr. Wilson Jewell, of Philadelphia, Chairman of the Business Committee, submitted the following Report with the accompanying resolution: Whereas, after a careful review of the subject confided to them, as embraced in the resolution, the result of their de- liberations is herewith presented. The question is all important, involving a responsible duty and comprehending the investigation of an extensive and varied field of inquiry. It is a question having an inti- mate bearing upon the health and lives of our fellow-citi- zens, and in disposing of it there is great danger of affecting injuriously the commercial relations of our maritime cities, unless the utmost care, combined with wisdom and judg- ment, be exercised in summing up and presenting for your action the results of our examination. The inception of every enterprise is as a general rule fre- quently associated with causes calculated to retard more or less their onward progress. When the inquiry involves human health—having for its object either the prolongation of life or the mitigation of those evils which are followed by the desolations of disease—these preconceived prejudices and hindering causes, loom up, with all their sophisticated influ- ences, offering obstacles to the success of the undertaking almost insurmountable in their character and opposition. Quarantine, as a branch of medical science, although not new, except so far as appertains to its reform, has not es- caped embarrassment from like disturbing influences. As- signing to these hindering causes their proper and legiti- mate sphere of action, viz. the bitter prejudices of the uninformed masses, in every community on the subject of contagion—we would not conceal the truth, that in the pro- fession of medicine there exists great diversity of sentiment, while there is a sad want of interest manifested in this