§ Lord Althorp brought up certain papers relating to the Cholera Morbus.
§ Mr. Crokersaid, he had yesterday called the attention of the Government to the necessity of the fullest investigation, with a view to ascertain in what degree the disease ought to be considered contagious or infectious. He had heard that it had now been ascertained that the first case was that of a man following the occupation of a ship-scraper, and that he had been attacked by the disease while at work on a ship which had come direct from Sunderland. He wished to ask the right hon. Vice-President of the Board of Trade whether he had any information to give to the House upon the subject?
§ Mr. Poulett Thomsonsaid, that as far as the information the Government had received went, this was not the first case that had occurred in London, although it was the first that had come regularly under the cognizance of the Medical Board. It seemed to have arisen under the circumstances stated by the right hon. Gentleman. The man had been employed for two days, on Board a vessel from Sunderland; that vessel had performed the usual quarantine of ten days; and he believed that the man referred to had not been in communication with the crew, who, he understood, had been all changed. He would not, however, pledge himself to the accuracy of these details, as the question had come upon him unexpectedly. He could assure the House, that every exertion should be made to procure exact information with regard to all the cases.
§ Mr. Crokersaid, it was impossible to expect more from the Government. The statement made by the right hon. Gentleman was of great importance; and he thought that enough had now taken place to direct the attention of the medical profession, and the public generally, to one most remarkable fact, in the history of this most extraordinary disorder, with a view to enable them to ascertain the cause of the spreading of the disease, and the means to arrest its course.
Mr. Warburtonwished to mention a circumstance of which he had been informed in the course of the day. He understood that the body of one of the persons who had died of this disease had been visited by multitudes of spectators, who went into the room where it was, and there inhaled the atmosphere of the close room in which it lay. He deprecated, in the strongest manner, the gratification of such idle curiosity, and wished to take that opportunity of stating, that it was the duty of the parish officers, and of the police, and undoubtedly they had the power, to prevent the repetition of such conduct.
Colonel Evanswished to have some information respecting the case of a soldier in the Guards who had been attacked by cholera, and who was attended during his illness by a great number of persons none of whom had since been attacked by the disease; a proof, if the fact were as he understood it, that the disease was not of that dangerously contagious nature which had been represented. In Sunderland, it appeared that the disease had spread more to the northward than the Southward, which was another proof of the same fact; for otherwise it would have spread nearly equally all around. He begged to ask, whether there was any objection to lay the papers relating to the case of the soldier of the Guards, before the House?
§ Mr. Poulett Thomsonsaid, the only papers he knew of relating to that case consisted of a report, in which the medical men distinctly attributed the soldier's illness to other causes besides the Cholera. He did not know of any objection to lay the papers on the Table, except that they did not relate to the subject.
§ The papers brought up by Lord Althorp ordered to be printed.