§ Sir John Jackson, after observing that he believed there would be no objection to his motion, moved, "That a Select Committee be appointed to consider of the Validity of the Doctrine of Contagion in the Plague; and to report their Observations thereupon to the House."
Mr. Wynnobserved, that as no explanation of the reasons of this motion had been given, it seemed to him a subject on which it would be better to call for the opinion of the college of physicians than of a committee of this House.
Mr. Robinsonsaid, he trusted he should be able to show that there were sufficient parliamentary grounds for the present motion. The quarantine laws, it was well known, were very rigid in their nature, 425 and entailed much inconvenience and expense on the ships that were subject to them. These laws were entirely founded on the opinion which, for some centuries, had prevailed, that the plague was contagious; but recent inquiries had thrown considerable doubts on the validity of that doctrine. It would be extremely desirable to collect all the means of decision as to the validity of that doctrine. The question had been brought under the consideration of the branch of government with which he was connected, and he confessed he had been struck with the reasonings which had been adduced in favour of the opinion that it was not contagious, but epidemic. The subject had been referred to the college of physicians, who had originally advised the enactment of the quarantine laws; their opinion certainly was, that their original doctrine was sound and untouched by subsequent experiments. The subject, however, deserved every degree of light which could be thrown upon it, and it so happened that the committee which had sat last year on the prevailing epidemic fevers in London, had added to the doubts which had been entertained as to the nature of the plague. He trusted, therefore, that the subject was not unworthy of the consideration of a committee, as the settlement of this question, especially if it should be established that the plague was epidemic and not contagious, would be of the highest importance to the interests of commerce, and the happiness of the world.
Mr. Wynnsaid, that after the explanation which had been given, he could have no possible objection to the motion. But he trusted the House would pause a little before it legislated, if a committee of the House should be of a contrary opinion to the college of physicians.
§ Sir John Jacksonbegged to state the reasons which had induced him to trouble the House with the present motion. He had been on the committee which had inquired, in a former session, into the nature of the epidemic lever prevalent in London. The testimony which Dr. Roberts gave to that committee, had perfectly astonished him. Dr. Roberts had been for 24 years the principal medical attendant at Bartholomew hospital, and declared, that in all that period of his practice, he had scarcely known an instance of a fever being contagious. He hoped the House would consent to take the subject into consideration.
§ The motion was agreed to, and a committee, consisting of the following members, was appointed: sir John Jackson, Mr. Boswell, Mr. Frederick Robinson, Mr. Fowell Buxton, Mr. Henry Clive, Mr. Cust, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Wilberforce, Mr. Fazakerley, Mr. Davies Gilbert, Mr. Wallace, Mr. Sandford Graham, Mr. Hudson Gurney, Dr. Phillimore, Mr. Morritt, sir Charles Monck, Mr. Macqueen, Mr. Fleming, Mr. Legh, Mr. Heygate, and Mr. Bennet.