MOTION FOR AN ADDRESS. (Hansard, 3 May 1867)

§ SIR J. CLARKE JERVOISE

said, he rose to move— That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that Her Majesty will be graciously pleased to cause such inquiry to be instituted as may lead to the better distinction between Contagious Diseases and such as are termed Infectious, so as to obviate, as far as possible, the loss, alarm, and injustice consequent on the theory of the infectious nature of certain Diseases when unsupported by demonstration. He had risen at a late hour of the night for a discussion of the subject and under circumstances of great discouragement. There was a certain amount of surplusage in his Motion, because no restriction could be enforced which did not involve loss, alarm, and injustice, unless it was founded "on demonstration." Therefore those words had better be left out. They had heard a good deal of strong language in the course of the evening; but he might say, without exaggeration, that this was a question of the utmost importance. The theory of the conveyance of disorders by some mysterious agency from one person to another in our state of society must, he thought, be regarded as one of the most important matters which could engage their attention. It affected people in every position in life, every association, and meeting of persons in any capacity, whether at home or abroad. It might be viewed in its bearing not only on persons who were at liberty, but on a class of persons whose case had been under discussion that evening—namely, those who were placed in confinement. Nothing could be more shocking than that persons should be locked up in gaols under the idea that they might be subject to the influence of infectious disorders. It was also of great import- 1992 ance to our young and rising colonies, where the example set by the mother country would have great influence. In illustration of the evils endured by this class of persons, he might refer to a tale written by a French author, called the Leper of Aosta, which, he doubted not, was familiar to all that heard him. A poor leper and his sister were shut up in a tower and condemned to a miserable life of seclusion on account of their fearful malady. Their only companion was a little cur dog, and the sister having died the brother was left alone with the pet dog, which, however, the authorities ordered to be destroyed, in order to prevent the infection from being carried elsewhere; and the wretched man at last committed suicide to relieve himself from an insupportable existence. That tale was founded so much upon fact that it might be said to be almost a true representation of the state of things at the present time. The infectious nature of leprosy was believed in in many parts of India, where great cruelties were inflicted in connection with the precautions adopted in regard to those who suffered from that malady. He avowed himself a disbeliever in infection, and in specifics prescribed and recommended to protect persons supposed to be especially exposed to it. Precautions that were recommended were too complicated or costly for general adoption by those upon whom they were urged. What was the use of urging that no water should be drunk that had not been boiled if people were destitute of the means of boiling it. There were outbreaks of cholera at Southampton, and of scarlet fever at Aldershot Camp, and elsewhere, but medical men, trained nurses, and others in immediate contact with patients escaped the communication of the disease. If medical men carried infection to their own children, the patients of medical men were exposed to danger quite as much as the members of their own families. He had with him a paper containing the Report of two gentlemen who had been sent over to Russia by this country, at an expense of £396, to inquire into the infectious nature of a certain disorder. Though they reported that the disorder in question was not infectious, the Report went on to say that it would be desirable if persons coming from abroad with dangerous communicable diseases would so dispose themselves in lodging and seclusion as not to endanger the health of the community. This would 1993 be very well if persons knew what those dangerous communicable diseases were. What he desired was that a small commission should be formed, consisting of two persons—one the most eminent chemist that Europe could afford for love or money, and an eminent lawyer to sift the evidence. He had put a number of questions on this subject to various Governments.

§ LORD ROBERT MONTAGU

regretted that the question of the hon. Baronet (Sir J. Clarke Jervoise) had been so ambiguous, that he had not been able to divine to what it pointed. If he had known this he would have taken care to have informed himself more fully upon it. He confessed his ignorance of the circumstances of the outbreak of leprosy at Aosta, the infection of which (according to the hon. Baronet) had been carried by a little dog. A Commissioner had been sent to Russia to inquire into "the black disease," and this gentleman reported that the disease was not infectious, so that it did come under the Motion of the hon. Member. It was true that in the other House Earl Granville had said that it was so, and that a great many persons had died from it; but this was a mistake, Earl Granville seems to have had in his mind another disease which also existed in Russia, and which was highly infectious. This disease broke out among cattle, but was communicated to human beings; and according to the last Report to the Russian Government, upwards of 90,000 cattle were killed by it during the year and 3,000 men. As to the cattle plague, this was not the time for a cattle plague debate, the proper occasion for which would arise in a very short time when a Bill would be introduced on the subject. He was sorry 1994 to say, however, that there had been recently a fresh outbreak of cattle plague in London. The existence of the disease here had been suspected for some time, owing to the secret removal of Cattle in large numbers from some dairies. At last it was ascertained that the disease existed in one dairy at Limehouse where there were thirty-nine cows, which all had the disease and all of which were killed. This happened in the preceding week, and he trusted that the slaughter of these cattle had prevented the further spread of the disease. With regard to contagious and infectious diseases; the two terms were treated pretty much as convertible; but infection was the larger term, denoting, in fact, the genus, while contagion indicated the species. In medical writings infection denoted the communication of disease. Infectious diseases were firstly those which were communicated from man to man; and secondly, those which were communicated by some fermentable or zymotic poison generated in the air, or at least external to man; such as malaria. The former species was denoted by the term "contagions diseases." And these are of two kinds, either immediate or communicated by the touch; or mediate, that is communicable by the breath or presence of a person, such as whooping cough and measles. Yellow fever was not contagious, though it was infectious. What possible harm, therefore, was there in Dr. Seaton's visit to the ship at the Motherbank? The disease was communicable by the air and not by contact with persons. Perhaps the hon. Member would say, "Why, then, impose any quarantine?" The answer was that it was not a medical but a commercial quarantine; it was imposed not through fear of the spread of yellow fever among persons in England, but in order that our ships and merchandise should not be subjected on arrival to quarantine abroad, and occasioned the loss which delay would entail. The modes and conditions of the propagation of preventible diseases were pretty well known by this time. There might be some few special diseases upon which additional knowledge was required. But surely the Health Office, in which there were two or three medical men of great scientific attainments and experience, afforded a better means of investigation than that proposed by the hon. Member—a Commission composed of a chemist and a lawyer. He did not know what would be the business of the 1995 lawyer, except, he supposed, to impose the interminable restrictions of the law upon the spread of disease. But the hon. Gentleman would see that with men who had spent all their lives in the investigation of the subject, and with all the appliances which were necessary at their command, the Privy Council were much more likely to arrive at sound conclusions and make valuable discoveries than the Commission which the hon. Baronet recommended. The hon. Baronet had alluded to the cholera. He was happy to say that upon this important subject most careful and accurate investigations had been carried on during the last year, the results had been tabulated, and in a few days a voluminous Report would appear, which, he trusted, would be satisfactory to the hon. Baronet. There were other points to which the hon. Baronet had called attention; but as he had considerable difficulty in hearing the hon. Gentleman's remarks, he trusted that would be sufficient excuse if he desisted from pursuing the subject further.