WITH A VIEW TO THE PREVENTION OF PLAGUE. 311 



of a superior Council of Health, formed principally of delegates from the embas- 

 sies of the different states of Europe residing in Constantinople, to the entire 

 exclusion of Mahommedans, with the exception of one, the president of the hoard, 

 a Turk of high official rank, appointed for form-sake, according to the usage of 

 the Turkish Government. Generally, it accords with the classification in use in 

 the adjoining countries, and being the last formed, it might be expected that it 

 would approach nearest to perfection, and be least liable to objection. 



In discussing the subject, I have taken for granted that plague is a contagious 

 disease, and that it is propagated by a peculiar matter of contagion. If this be 

 not admitted, of course the classification must be held to be superfluous, together 

 with the whole system of quarantine, and all considerations as to its details must 

 be useless. Admitting the contagion of plague, and that it is a fixed matter, ac- 

 cording to the commonly received views of the contagionists, the same process of 

 reasoning respecting it seems to be applicable, whether it be supposed to be of the 

 nature of living germs, or of an animal poison, or a substance sui generis, alto- 

 gether peculiar. 



To engage, however, in the inquiry for practical purposes, with a view to the 

 efficiency of the quarantine system, I need hardly remark, that a different proce- 

 dure should be observed from that which I have followed, and that certain ques- 

 tions in limine ought, if possible, to be settled ; as, whether the disease is essen- 

 tially contagious or not ; whether it is ever of local origin, and only occasionally 

 contagious ; or, whether it is ever any thing more than an epidemic disease. 

 These are questions which have been long discussed, and, in the opinion of not a 

 few, are still undecided. In Constantinople, the majority of the Frank physicians 

 consider the plague strictly contagious ; whilst, in Egypt, the greater number of 

 them are convinced that it is not of a contagious character, or, at furthest, only 

 rarely so, under peculiar circumstances. 



In legislating with regard to quarantine, a great mistake appears to have been 

 committed, namely, that of enacting regulations on the ground of suppositions, 

 instead of on the firm basis of facts obtained by means of rigid inquiry and accu- 

 rate research. The consequence has been what might be expected, a sanatory 

 system of a very unsatisfactory kind, troublesome, expensive, and insecure, for so 

 I believe it is considered by all unbiassed persons who have given it their careful 

 attention. Were, indeed, the system in other respects perfect, the nature of the 

 classification of substances that has passed in review must, of necessity, vitiate it, 

 and render it, there is too much reason to believe, worse than useless. 



The time, it may be expected, at least it is to be hoped, is not far distant, 

 when a thorough investigation of the subject will be required, preliminary to a 

 revision of the laws of quarantine, should the results of the inquiry be, that the 

 plague is truly contagious, or is capable of becoming so. No investigation is more 

 urgently required, whether we consider the interests of commerce, the security of 

 VOL. xv. PART n. 4 P 



