Railway accidents or collisions : their effects upon the nervous system : the substance of a paper read before the Harveian Medical Society / by William Camps.

  • Camps, William.
Date:
1866
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Railway accidents or collisions : their effects upon the nervous system : the substance of a paper read before the Harveian Medical Society / by William Camps. 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.

    8/18 page 8
    As it is tho duty of Government to exercise greater foresight than is always to he expected from the subjects, so too, I appre- liend, it is the duty of our profession to exercise greater fore- sight than is to he expected from the ]uihlic, who are to he regarded as our subjects. We see this idea worked out to some extent in regard to the science of preventive medicine, and so also, in regard to the subject now under consideration ; the travelling, and more especially the shareholding public, should be taught by the medical profession, that a railway accident or collision is no trifling matter to the health, the life, and the limbs, of Her Majesty’s subjects; who, when sick or injured, from any causes whatever, fall under our professional care and superin- tendence. It seems to me that in this pathological subject there are at least four great classes in the entire commimity, that may be said to be interested therein. There is, firstly, the entire population of the country, whether travelling, or non-travelling, or stationary, the public at large ; —for all are more or less interested in the w^elfare of each, and there is none of us who may not, and do not have those near and dear to them who travel now-a-days. There is, secondly, the class composed of shareholders and officials, as directors, &c., &c.; who are largely and pecuniarily interested in this subject of railway accidents and collisions. There is, thirdly, the unhappy class of immediate sufferers from railway accidents and collisions. This class, of course, I need not say, are the most interested of any. And fourthly, and lastly, there is the class comprising the entire number of our profession, all of whom are more or less interested in this subject. The three last-named classes, the shareholders, the unfortu- nate suffereis, and the members of the medical profession, necessarily, moreover, constitute each their several and respec- tive portions of the first class—namely, the great public at large. It would be quite beside the purpose of this present
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3