How to prevent consumption / by Dr. Wm. A. Alcott.

  • Alcott, William A. (William Andrus), 1798-1859.
Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: How to prevent consumption / by Dr. Wm. A. Alcott. 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.

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    delphia. 300 in Baltimore, and from 40 to 50 in our smaller cities of from 10,000 to 15,000 inhabitants— which is believed to be about a fair estimate of the aver- age annua] number of deaths from consumption. Sup- pose it were not confined to our cities, however, but to extend its visits to every township, taking- away from each township of 2000 inhabitants its 8 or 10 individuals; from each of 4000 its 15 to 20, and so on. What com- plaints of a deadly climate, &c, should we not continually hear ? But is the mortality less dreadful because it comes not at stated seasons ? Is it any less alarming that Boston should lose 25 or 30 inhabitants upon an average, every month, or nearly one a day, than that it should lose 300 or more once a year, and that, too, in the compass of only a few weeks or days ? Why should New York be more alarmed at the loss of three inhabitants a day for every day in the year, than at the sudden invasion of a disease which should sweep away 1095 in a week, and then dis- appear for the year? Why should a township of 5000 inhabitants make a greater outcry at the annual return of a malady, that should sweep away 25 or 30 in a few days, and then disappear, than at a more insidious but equally deadly foe, that should destroy upon the aver- age two every month ? We press these inquiries, because we wish every one to perceive the extent of the malady of which we are treating, that he may feel the full force of our remarks on the importance of well directed efforts to prevent it. Were a yearly pestilence to destroy in one week, or even in several weeks, as many of our inhabitants as are now destroyed slowly by consumption, and were an individual to come forward, and devise, and carry into execution, measures for diminishing its mortality only one half, he would be considered the benefactor of his country and of