§ Mr. John Smithobserved, that the question before the committee was one of the utmost moment. It could not be denied by candid and inquiring men, that the present system of our Quarantine laws was a mass of absurdity and folly. In a commercial point a view, the circumstance was the more to be regretted; because it was a system affecting our trade with the Mediterranean, a sea, whose shores were, of all others, the richest in productions. There were in that system obvious anomalies to which he felt it a duty to object. So ineffectual, moreover, was it to accomplish its ostensible objects, that it was notorious that cargoes were frequently brought from countries up the Levant to Holland, where a very different and milder system of Quarantine laws prevailed, in order to effect the introduction of such goods with the greater facility into England; and yet in Holland the plague had not made its appearance for a long period of time, notwithstanding the great amount of imports into that country; nor in France or England for upwards of a hundred years. However much he had been attacked by hon. members in that House, and subjected to newspaper attacks, as a man who had declared the plague to be not contagious, the fact was, that he had never ventured to give any opinion whatever on the doctrine of contagion; neither, placed in the circumstances he was, would it have become him to have given any such opinion. In the few observations he should now submit to the House, he did not mean at all to enter into the history of this question; but he might be allowed to notice, that in the year 1819, several medical or experiences 602 gentlemen were examined upon it. They all agreed in affirming, that this disease was contagious; but, in no other point, did they concur. In 1824, other individuals were examined to similar points; but the only witnesses examined before that latter committee were such as were decidedly contagionists, and on that principle were all agreed. One should have thought that their evidence would have concurred on that topic, therefore. No such thing. Their evidence was so unfavourable to contagion generally, that one of them pronounced Great Britain to be perfectly free from it eight months out of the year. Another medical man, of great eminence, expressed a doubt whether the plague ever passed Cape Finisterre. Thus divided were the sentiments of scientific men upon this part of the question. Upon the evidence which had been adduced in the course of those two inquiries, it would not appear that those officers called "expurgators" in some of the European ports, who examined ships coming in with foul bills of health, had incurred any fatal consequences by reason of their employment. From certain information, indeed, which he had procured from Marseilles, it did appear, that in 1720, a man of this description fell down dead upon opening a bale of cotton that had arrived in a vessel from a country subject to the infection. It was immediately said, and in the infant state of science at that day, believed, that he had dropped down dead of the plague; but this was an absurdity; for in fact he died of apoplexy. Nor was it likely that cotton goods should retain any such degree of infection; for it was known that when the plague was raging most violently, even in Egypt or at Constantinople, the clothes, bed and bedding, of the dead, were the perquisites of the magistrates; and as such were publicly sold to whoever might choose to buy them. Between the countries to which he had been alluding and Persia, there was a constant, intercourse kept up; and yet, whether from the dryness of the atmosphere, or from whatever other cause it might be, a plague in Persia was hardly within any man's recollection. He felt much disposed, on principle, to support the bill which was brought forward by the right hon. gentleman, and all who heard him must be convinced of the vast importance of such a measure. Persons of the highest distinction in the medical profession had now determined, that the yellow fever, that 603 scourge of other countries, could be no longer matter of dread to Great Britain. Upon equally high authority, it was now held that typhus fever was not contagious. Upon the whole, he considered that it was impossible, with propriety, to trust the revision of these laws to a committee. The first proceeding should be, the appointment of a commission, consisting of medical practitioners partly, and partly of men of general science and experience, charged to collect and examine into, and observe facts connected with the propagation of the plague. In respect to the recent fever at Barcelona, the most eminent physicians in France perfectly scoffed at the idea of its being contagious; and even when their famous Cordon Sanitaire was established, with the ostensible design of preventing its diffusion, they knew better than to believe that such was its real or its necessary object. Under these circumstances, he hoped the subject would be further inquired into.
§ Lord Althorpsaid, that, as far as the present measure went, it had his cordial concurrence. It was a strong fact, that the expurgators were scarcely ever infected with the plague; but, considering all the differences of opinion on the subject of contagion, he thought it ought to be further inquired into.
§ Mr. Huskissonsaid, he was one of those who felt that, if the public mind could be completely satisfied, and if it could be established beyond a doubt, that the Quarantine laws were unnecessary, it would be the greatest relief to those who attended to the execution of those laws. Among the many duties which devolved on himself and his hon. friend near him, from the situations they held, there was none which they discharged with more difficulty than that of deciding on the cases of foul bills from the Levant. But, when hon. gentlemen considered the consequences of any accident arising from the removal of the Quarantine laws, it was impossible they could weigh the present inconvenience with the probable evils. Whether the plague was or was not contagious, he would not offer an opinion. There were very strong facts to show, that, in certain climates, and under certain circumstances, it was contagious. It was impossible to look at the Report of the committee on the Quarantine laws, and see the circumstances under which the plague had been introduced into Malta, without being convinced that contagion was the mode in 604 which it had been introduced. One case detailed was that of a ship which arrived before Malta with two infected persons on board. Before the ship came into port something was transmitted on shore which had been in contact with these two persons, and in consequence of that the plague took place. In the State of Naples the plague broke out in consequence of infection communicated by the garments of some persons, which had been conveyed to one of the villages. The place was surrounded by a military cordon, and the plague was thereby confined to that spot. These circumstances tended to throw a doubt on the theory that the plague was not contagious. The universal feeling of all countries into which the plague had introduced itself, was apprehension of danger. Under these circumstances, even if he were convinced as strongly as Dr. M'Lean, that it was impossible to introduce the plague here, yet, in the absence of such facts, and with a dread of the consequences, he thought we ought to observe proper precaution. If we were to convey an impression to other nations that we were indifferent to precautions, we should subject the trade of this country to a most severe visitation. He was not speaking this without some foundation. The consequence of the impression which had gone abroad, that we were going to depart from our Quarantine system had been, that the countries in the Mediterranean, having a Quarantine establishment, had issued an order for putting every British ship, come from where it might, under Quarantine. So far we had brought on our commerce a severe infliction, in consequence of the discussion of this question. The consul at Marseilles had acted upon the report which had gone forth; while the minister of the king of Sardinia, acting under the same alarm, had given the same orders at Genoa. He had satisfied the Sardinian minister, and he trusted the French minister would be satisfied in like manner, that we were relieving our trade from the burthens of the Quarantine establishment, and making the charges fall on the public at large, according to reason and a sound view of the case, without a relaxation of those precautions which the safety of the public might require. One great change was, that all restraints on ships coming from countries not subject to the plague, were removed. He wished it to be understood by the trading part of the com- 605 munity, that the government of this country were not disposed to listen to any complaints which they might make of inconvenience, so as to relax beyond what was recommended by the committee on the Quarantine laws, and that those laws, inconvenient as they might be in some instances, would be inforced.
Mr. D. Gilbertproposed that goods should be subject to a temperature of from 110 to 120 degrees of Fahrenheit, which would effectually destroy contagion. Under all the circumstances, he was glad that government had adopted the present measure.
Mr. Wilmot Hortonsaid, he had documents from the colonies which he could lay before the House, which incontestibly proved the contagion of the plague. It was not to be wondered at that persons employed in packing goods were not subject to the plague, since one peculiar characteristic of the plague was, that it destroyed entirely the strength of the person infected, and rendered him incapable of any exertion. The goods were also packed under the influence of the sun, which might have the effect of the temperature alluded to by the hon. member who spoke last. These circumstances accounted for no infectious matter being brought over in cotton goods.
A Member, whose name we could not learn, said, that he had no doubt, from his own personal observation, that the plague was communicated in the ports of the Mediterranean by contact. So strongly were the Greeks resident there convinced of this fact, that they always locked themselves up when the plague prevailed, and there was no instance of their having been attacked by it. In Smyrna the plague came at regular periods; and, so constant was its recurrence at the festival of St. John, that it had given rise to the proverb "La festa di San Giovanni porta la pesta." Although obliged to differ from the opinion of Dr. Maclean on this subject, he expressed the highest respect for his talents, and for the fearlessness with which he had exposed his life, in order to ascertain the truth of this doubtful and difficult point.
The House resumed, and the report was ordered to be brought up on Monday.