Sect. XIV.] MEDICINE AND MEDICAL STATISTICS. 



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other, with that degree of certainty which would warrant 



the medical officer i> Litis a conscientious opinion. 



if 



required by the arrival of the vessel in a port? The 

 great ??inxilarity of all continued and remittent fevers, but 

 more particularly of the fevers of the tropicB. from what- 

 ever source they may have sprung, together with predis- 

 position from fear, foti^ue. or deraneement of the diges 



tive organs^ and the utter impressibility of complete segre- 



gation, even in the most roomy vessel, will, it is appre« 

 hended, render it extremely difficult to make such a 

 distinction ; and the delivery of any opinion beyond that 

 which may be h}7>othetically formed impracticable. Still 

 experience, undoubtedly, 

 greatly assist those who have had the benefit of its teach- 

 ing ; hence the value to be attached to all such authenti- 

 cated truthful data, and the suspicion with which imperfect, 

 speculativCj or garbled accounts should be received- 

 If we were dc^'red to write dov/n " what to observe 



in so critical a juncture, will 



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with respect to tropical fever, the subject might be ex- 

 panded into a volume, or compressed into a few words ; 



for the occasion it may suffice to mention those things 

 which would facilitate any inquiry for which it might be 

 necessary to consult the medical retunis of the Navy. 

 One of the first objects of the medical officer, when an 

 irruption of fever occurs in a ship of war, wnll be to ascer- 

 tain, if possible, whether it arises from causes internal or 



external to the ship ; for on this will depend the propriety 

 of removing the cause, or removing from the cause, viz.. 



clearing out the vessel, or quitting the iocahty. If it 



arise from causes within the vessel, tliese should be stnt^d, 

 and also the means tak^^n to remove them : if from causes 







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