234 Letter from Dr. Beddoes 
vations on the means of immediately check- 
ing the progrefs of low fever, whenever it 
appears; and eventually, perhaps, of extin- 
guifhing febrile infe&ion. 
A fever hofpital, or houfe of recovery, 
was opened at Manchefter in 1796. It was 
defigned to receive poor patients on the firft 
alarm of infeétion. You will find it natural 
that much unpopularity fhould originally at- 
tach to fuch an eftablifhment. Public want 
ef information concerning the manner in 
which contagion is propagated, excited fears 
Feft the fever thould for ever {pread from this 
xeceptacie as from a centre.—Under this ter- 
ror many perfons adciwally removed from-its 
vicinity. But the plan was in faét crowned 
with complete fuccefs. The exifting evils 
were diminifhed, and no new one produced 5 
under the fandtion of experience, a large ad- 
dition is now aétually making to the original 
building. At Liverpool and Dublin fevers 
wards are now conftrudting. The fame thing 
has been recommended in London, and pro- 
mifes to be carried into execution; perhaps 
may be already undertaken: . i 
. So far was infeétion from fpreading about 
the Manchefter fever-houfe, that the adja- 
cent ftreets, which in eight months before 
Ets opening furnifhed 267 cafes of fever to 
the infirmary, furnifked but 25 in the eight 
months after. The frequency of the difor- 
der was greatly leflened upon the whole, till 
}ate wel! known caufes began their operation, 
But even then the advantage of the houfe of 
recovery was fully felt. And fuch is the 
advantage of medical aid in the early ftage of 
fever—-f{uch the alacrity of the Manchefter 
poor to feek it—fuch the accommodations at 
the eftablifhment—and fuch the efficacy of 
a well-digefted plan, that, in a letter before 
me, one of the phyficians exprefles a belief 
that the proportion of cures is greater than 
among patients attended at their own houfes; 
But I can prefent you with a table, from 
which every one may form his own judgment. 
Admitted. Died. 
From 1796 toJune1797 360 8 8©638 
{gmonths of}3797 —=—- 3793 286 436 
1798-—-—_ 1799 373 . 24 
3799 ——- 1800 353 40 
3800 ——— 180% 739 65 
Total 2111 183 
Tn confidering this table, you will not fail 
to remember to what ftate many of the ob- 
jets are reduced by penury before they take 
the difeafe, and to what ftate they muft often 
Be recuced by the difeafe, before their friends 
feek relief for them at the houfe of recovery. 
Let me add, left the circumftance fhould oc- 
cafion mifconception, that the addition of new 
wards is intended to meet fuch an emergency 
as that of the late years. They wifely prefer 
a {pacious fever-ward generally empty to a 
imal! one conftantly crowded. 
With the hiftory of the building now | 
going on at Liverpool, I fhall not trouble 
to the Mayor of Briftol. { April i 
, you 3 but would gladly fhew you what private 
papers I have concerning it, and communicate 
the plan. | 
The queftion then I think can hardly be, 
whether the plan is good, where fever fre- 
quently rages 3 but, does Briftol need fuch an 
one? Some feem to think that on the avee 
rage of years there is little low fever at 
Briftol. But, alas! they pronounce, I fear, 
without any proper knowledge or minute in= 
veftigation, What may be its frequency 
there in comparifon with Manchefter, Liver- 
pool, or Dublin, I have no data for conjeétur- 
ing 3 but from the nature of things it feems 
next to impoffible that there fhould not be 
always mifery enough of this defcription to 
demand that fuccour, which the place at pre- 
fent doesnot afford. At leaft, Sir, let us have 
the humanity to colleét the evidence, and 
not, in compliance with vague opinion, clofe 
our eats to the cry of diftrefs from the poor, 
nor our eyes to our own danger. 
In the late epidemic, the number affected 
by fever in Briftol, was prodigious. The me- 
dical relief was often inadequate—frequently | 
none was given. The eftablifhed charities 
were probably overpowered by applicants, or 
the friends of the fick could not apply. A 
few months ago the ‘accuracy of a ftatement 
from the Briftol Difpenfary was queftioned in 
London, on account of the enormous propor- 
tion of fever-patients. But in referring back 
there was no caufe to fufpe& error: and for 
my own part, I had proofs enough that the 
prevalence of fever was as dreadful as the 
ftatement implied, People not medical may, 
I know, be faid to miftake fome other difeafe 
for fever. But this diforder is unhappily 
ftrongly marked ; and fuch miftakes will fel- 
dom happen to perfons accuftomed to the fick 
poor. ‘Now I have on my table a written 
ftatement from the vifitors among the 
Strangers’ Friends ; for I requefted a delibe- 
rate opinion. They believe that of two thou- 
fand fick, who in the courfe of the laft year 
paft fell under their infpeCtion, twelve hun- 
dred were ill of fever. On the fame autho- 
rity I learn, that within nineteen weeks, 
twenty-eight people lay down with fever in 
one houfe, in Back-ftreet, (it is believed they 
had very little medical affiftance); and that 
eight were buried out of a fingle houfe in 
Elbroad-ftreet. Of the exiftence of mifery, 
fo widely {pread, I have received various con- 
firmations from the invalid poor, who refort 
in va{t and increafing numbers to the Pneu- 
matic Inftitution. Laft Sunday I was ap- 
plied to by a girl, who had been almoft to- 
tally deprived of the ufe,of her limbs by the 
{potted fever. Her father and mother, fhe 
faid, had both died of the fame difeafe, with~ 
out relief or afliftance. 
Where the mafs of mifery of a particular 
fpecies is fo great at one time, is it crédible 
that it fhould not exift at all times in a de- 
gree, efpecially as its proper and adequate 
caufes are perpetually prelent? seins 
iy 
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