Colonel Evanswished again to call the attention of the House to the petition he had presented on a former night, from seventy-three medical practitioners, praying for an inquiry into the nature of the Cholera. They asserted, without the fear of contradiction, that it was an epidemic, and not a contagious disease. One of the petitioners was Doctor 692 Chambers, who examined all the medical officers belonging to the East-India Company, and who was, therefore, a great authority on this subject; with respect to the mortality produced by this disease, there did not appear to be any unusual increase, the average of deaths in the metropolis at this season of the year being from 500 to 700 weekly. It was supposed by some persons that the fear occasioned by the appearance of the disorder in this country would soon die away, but, in the mean time, he begged to observe, that the greatest distress was occasioned by it, for he understood that twenty millions of property were now lying on board ship in our harbours, the export trade being stopped from the dread of quarantine in foreign countries. Surely, therefore, it was necessary to institute some inquiry to ascertain the exact character of the disease which had caused so much mischief.
§ Mr. Crokerobserved, that the logic used by the petitioners was of that kind which did not much dispose the hearer of it to form a favourable opinion of the value of their opinions. They declared that they stated, without fear of contradiction, that this disease was not contagious. They might state it without any fear of refutation, but they could not state it without fear of contradiction, for in the minds of many most eminent medical men, there was nothing more clearly established than that the disease was contagious.
§ Mr. Poulett Thomsonthought he might safely put it to the hon. and gallant Member himself, whether the course he was now pursuing was a wise one. That it was adopted from the best motives there could be no doubt, but there could be nothing more mischievous to the cause he intended to serve than his repeated expression of opinion that the disease was not contagious. He should be glad if the fact were so; but there were a vast number of men who had seen the disease abroad, and who held an entirely different opinion. That difference of opinion showed that, at least, there was considerable doubt on the subject; and if the doubt existed, was it not mischievous to endeavour to persuade people that they might safely expose themselves to the disease, for it was not contagious? It was, besides, mischievous in another way; for we could not persuade foreign countries that the disease was not contagious; and if they saw us acting without care, they would enforce their quarantine more strictly than ever against us. The injury to the com- 693 merce of the country was not so great in consequence of the system now pursued as the hon. and gallant Member imagined, for the greater part of the coasting trade of the country was free from the restrictions of quarantine.
Colonel Evanssaid, as the right hon. Gentleman himself allowed there might be some doubts of the character of the disease, he put it to him, whether, to set those doubts at rest, it would not be best to have some inquiry into its nature.
§ Sir Richard Vyvyanbegged to ask the hon. and gallant Officer, whether, if he could make out fully that the disease was not contagious, he had the means of persuading other countries to adopt his views, for, unless he could do that, the restrictions on commerce would not only be continued, but would most likely be increased, from the suspicions of such countries that we desired to make out a false case.
An Hon. Membersaid, a very unnecessary alarm had been created. There had been many diseases in this country, even of late years that was more general and fatal. Such was the disease of 1777, and the complaint in Dublin in 1808, which very much resembled the present disease.
§ Subject dropped.