422 ,Reportfroin the Select Committee appointed to considei- 



happening here and there in a family. Believes the plague to be 

 a contagious disease communicable by the effluvia of diseased 

 bodies being applied to sound persons, independent of any atmo- 

 spherical or adventitious causes. 



Being asked whether he conceives that a certain quality in the 

 air is necessary to bring forth latent contagion ; that in the great 

 plague in the reign of Edvv,/II. which spread over country after 

 country, and carried off three-fourths of the inhabitants of Europe, 

 the climates shifted: if from the year 1570 to 1665, there was a 

 perpetual recurrence of plague in England, it is probable that the 

 same quality of the air could have been over England during a 

 century? — answers, '^ With respect to the first question, the 

 disease was probably produced by an epidemic influence, which 

 will occasionally travel round the whole globe ; for instance, in 

 1802 there was an influenza over most of the world. There was 

 a fever in India a few years ago, which travelled nearly 1000 miles, 

 gradually extending itself in the direction of the monsoon, from 

 neai Cape Cormorin to the banks of the Carverv, and sv/ceping 

 off 106,000 people. This took a considerable time to travel from 

 one part to another ; but went in the direction of the monsoon, 

 afifecting one district after another. That I consider as an epi- 

 demic influence which I cannot account for, excepting by peculiar 

 states of earth and air ; it v;as not contagious from individual to 

 individual, but something in the air, which produced a general 

 epidemic fever from south to north. I think it v.'as some epide- 

 mic influence of this kind that spread over Europe ; but from the 

 time it happened, the descriptions are not minute; I hardly con- 

 sider it the plague of the present day." Considers that there are 

 periodical changes of climate, irregular in their returns, but bring- 

 ing a constitution somev/hat similar to former periods. This was 

 the opinion of Sydenham, and is entertained by many at this 

 moment. Thinks these changes productive of disorders, and that 

 there are scarcely two epidemics precisely alike in their nature. 

 Believes the plague of 1665 to have been the regular true Levant 

 plague. It appears that the plague was, at least, frequently re- 

 current in England for the greater part of a century, previous to 

 1665 ; in the year 160S it is mentioned by a familiar writer to 

 be so prevalent, that houses were marked with a cross, and the 

 words miserere mild written on them to present persons from 

 entering them ; he particularly mentions the plague spots; the 

 tokens were probably buboes or carbuncles ; with respect to the 

 spots, there is some difficulty in making up one's mind as to what 

 they meant, they might mean petechice. 



Dr. JViUiam Gladstone, Surgeon to tlie Naval Asylum at 

 Greenwich.— Was at Constantinople in 1806 and 1807; and 

 from having been then surgeon of His Majesty's ship the Endy- 



