BOOK III. CHAP. VI. 581 



diforders, Incident to the climate, may beft be prevented, or re- 

 medied. For what can be a more praife-wortliy ta(k, than the 

 God-like difpenfation of health to the fick, life to the dying, relief 

 to the miferable? It is not a little extraordinary, that, among all 

 the gentlemen eminent and learned in the medical profefTion, 

 who liave pradiied in this ifland, not one of them fliould have 

 published his fentiments on its difeafes, and the remedies found 

 moft efficacious in the cure of them, at leaft not within thefe 

 ilxty or feventy years part. The only treatife, I ever faw, was 

 compofed by Dr. Trapham, who refided here long ago. Dr. 

 Patrick Brown, who printed a natural hiftory of the ifland in the 

 year 1756, gave his fubfcribers aliiirance of a fecond volume, 

 which was to contain diflbrtations upon climates, atmofpheres,. 

 and difeafes, the yellow and remittent fevers, and worm-diforders ; 

 with a particular application of thefe fubjefts to Jamaica; but this 

 gentleman has not hitherto thought proper to comply with his 

 engagement. Is it becaufe feveral celebrated phyficians, as Hillary, 

 Biflet, Lind, and others, have publiflied their opinions already, 

 that our Jamaica profeflbrs of the healing art have, through mo- 

 defty, beenfiknt? If it be a modefl: reludlance, we may defervedly 

 call it a fudor nmlus, a blameable diffidence, which brings fome re- 

 proach on their iinderflanding, if not on their humanity; for. 



Scire tuum nihil eji, niji tefcire hoc Jciat alter. 

 And although thefe learned precurfors mentioned niay have han- 

 dled the fubjedl with much Ikill and accuracy ; yet it cannot be 

 denied but much ftill remains to be faid : for the I'cience of ph} fie, 

 like other human fludies, is far too complex in its nature, and ad- 

 mits too comprehenfive a variety of obfervation and experience, to 

 derive more than a partial, progrefTive improvement from the prac- 

 tice of many phyfi^cians, even applying their thoughts to it incef- 

 fantly during their lives. After a feries of ages, it is perceived flill 

 very fhort of perfe£lion J but it maybe gr.Huially brought neaier 

 and nearer to that iiate, by the concurrent obfervarion, pradtice, and 

 experiment, of a multitude of intelligent men, rather than of two 

 or three. Befides, although x}c\t genera of the difeafes, moft mortal 

 in the Weft-Indies, may perhaps be well defined and ditlinguifl'ied j 

 yet, in the ex.teufive range of atmofpheres, and countries coijpve- 



Lended! 



