The report of a committee on the New Poor Law Act : appointed by the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association, at its anniversary meeting, held at Oxford, and read at the anniversary meeting, held at Manchester, July 21st, 1836.
- Provincial Medical and Surgical Association. Poor-Law Committee
- Date:
- 1836
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The report of a committee on the New Poor Law Act : appointed by the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association, at its anniversary meeting, held at Oxford, and read at the anniversary meeting, held at Manchester, July 21st, 1836. 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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![which ■n ill be postponed to a futm'o Anniversary, the Coiuicil do not tliink it necessary to nominate any Committees for the ])urpose of drawing up reports for the next Anniversary Meet- ing ; but they are of opinion that it is desirable to call the attention of the Association to a subject which they deem of gi-eat importance. The investigation of Epidemic Diseases was one of the first objects to which the attention of the Asso- ciation was directed. It was announced in the Pfospectus issued by the first Committee, and adopted and confirmed at the General INIeeting at Worcester, in 183£. Impressed with the importance of the subject the Council now recommend it to the notice of the Association, in the confident ex^iectation that the united eftbrts of its members will tend to remove the ob- scurity which at present envelopes that class of diseases. The Council perfectly agree with one of the latest writers on the subject, the able writer of the article Epidemics in the Cyclo- poedia of Practical Medicine, states that “if medical observers had been conteirt to mark with simplicity the series of events belonging to Epidemics, like Hippocrates and Sydenham, we should not have been so much in the dark at the present day.” Convinced that an extensive accumulation of facts is, above all things, essential, the Council earnestly request each mem- ber of the Association to keep a register of the rise, progress, and decline of epidemics in his district, being very particular as to dates and localities; and as the object desired is to dis- cover, if possible, the eftects of external influences in the pro- duction and propagation of these diseases, the condition of the atmosphere should also be registered, particularly its barome- tric, thcrmometric, and hygrometric states. The registering of these, as indicated by the proper instruments, it is hoped may not be found troublesome, when the value of actual observa- tions bearing upon this subject is considered. The object at pre- sent is not to build a theory, but to record facts, from Avhlch useful deductions may eventually be drawn, and having stated this, the Council feel satisfied that each member will feel it his duty to contribute his quota towards so desirable an end. fl'hc register completed to the last day of May in each year. c](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22389738_0013.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
