The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-05-11 00:00:00

THE FEVER SIIEDS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
SIR,—A letter appeared in the Albion newspaper last week,
on the subject of the FEVER SHEDS adjoining the Workhouse,
in Mount-pleasant, which was signed anonymously under the
letter " Z." It contained an attack upon "Drs. Cooper, Neill,
and Watson," and was characterised by an unprofessional slur
on the three medical practitioners, who were only some of the
medical practitioners who had ventured to protest against the
enormity of the Select Vestry. I felt reluctant, under any or-
dinary circumstances, to present myself again in print before
the public, and especially under anonymous attacks, which, all
men have agreed, present no adequate provocative to break
silence. However, the question is a vital one, and I shall sal
one word.

If the author of " Z" were not ashamed of his name, the
motive urging him to write would justify his giving his real
name to the public in the minds of all good citizens. He pre-
tends to be a medical man; but the proof is wanting. How
do I know, or either of my traduced brethren, that it is not a
shadow put for a substance? I suspect much that some par-
tisan of the Select Vestry, or one of themselves perhaps, (since
a lay committee of their body have sat as a jury upon a medicaj
question, viz., the reporting on the medical capabilities of the
lazarettoes for feverpatients !!) Perhaps one or other of such par-
ties are writing as physicians in the public press, for the purpose
of lending a surreptitious credit to a defeated cause. I pre-
sume, that " Z " is a layman, because a regular professional
would not be ashamed of his name, which the author is perhaps
correct in feeling, seeing that even with his paraded literature •
he Is scarcely " np to Saturday night" in the science he professes
to handle, however satisfactory possible to the Select Vestry!
As for his charitable insinuations, they must have torn his owo
heart in harbouring them or ridding himself of them. He has
sacrificed the unity of the profession, which ought to be a point
dearer to him, to us and to all medical men, than our own in-
dividual interests. As for the insinuation of unworthy motive
(wish of notoriety), I fancy, that after residence many years
here, a simple sense of doing our duty contents us, and which
anonymous slanders cannot rob us of. I beg "Z" to content
himself with the good news, that his pyrotechny, if startling by
its explosive burst, was yet " perfectly harmless "
There is only one sentence in the whole letter that merits
special answer, and that is the charge of the " three pliY!':
mils" being the first on record who have been alarmists.
Had the vestryman or his shadow known the real factsofferere
case; had he known; for instance, the actual number of
that
tTetitetitiotrstainittythies
mtoowrne,t
that the real entaiti,on, of thinga haa been carefully Yhe known
from tlfe-'iititifie,--to- prevent 'lda • an- 'hich
thin
too deathsoer fromceot fever, or
the
e• 1,1;g
a
that Liverpool is subject to sevane' pidelniC fevers, w
is not the case at, present, for no epidemic
exists, but sunply a
fever from known physical ca : would have seen tot
our only desire was to forewarn the public, so as to fore
them—and to have every fever case removed out of 'the tote;
and especially to prevent any being brought into a ward where
there are nuisances enough already.
These steps, we contend, are absolutely necessary, for a very,
fatal epidemic has appeared in the northern counties, and net
appear here at any time; and all parties will have to regi!:
that the nidus of pestilence which now exists had not been ry
moved in time.
This is the last anonymous letter I shall take the trouble to
answer—in fact I ought to apologize for the present notice.
I am, sir, your obedient servantGEO. C. WATSON,W 111.1)-
Bedford-street, North, 10th May.

THE IRISH IN LivEnrooL.—Yesterday, a deputation, (.00'
sisting, of Mr. E. G. Deane, Mr. R. Harbord, and Mr. JefferY,
waited on the Mayor, to present a memorial which has, for the
last few days, been in course of signature, asking of his worSl
to call a town's meeting on the subject of the burthen impose.,
upon this town by the influx of Irish poor. We learn that, 0'
the result, his worship was induced to call a public meetinP
which will be held in the Sessions-house to-morrow.
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST FEVER.—Three thousand of the d
habitations condemned by the sanatory act, we are informe ;
have been permitted to be occupied by the poor and wretch:
immigrants from Ireland in this town. There they are fester
ing with disease—creating disease—and yet we have outskif,,
available, which, by the aid of government, who, we are
,rei,t
tain, would not deny us aid in our hour of need,
be used without entailing any evil or damage upon the
bourhood., The ordnance department has an ample store of
tents, which might be usefully employed as recipients of foe.
,
patients; and we do not think that an addition to our present
stork of hulks in the river would be refused, were we to aPPI3
for them.
MEETING
meeting
nT
ofE
pE
apyaelr-
sE sr oOF T°xTPEarr
night, at the Royale
Oak, Park-road, for the further considera-
tion of matters connected with the administration of the
m
affairs of the parish. Mr. William Short was called to the
Toxtethrc w P
a As
RhKeld—A lastp
adjourned
Chair, and read a letter from the Mayor, handed to him by Mr.
Rd. Ilarbord, addressed to Mr. H. G. Harbord, chairman
the previous meeting ; acknowledging, in polite terms, the recei
m P'
of the memorial transmitted by him on behalf of the Meetiurl
stating that he ventured to assure the memorialiststhat it sirtuho
receive the best attention of the Health Committee 0'
Council. The meeting being merely preliminary to a gene.,--rh.
and more public meeting of the rate-payers, it was sirrie,:ft;t
after some conversation as to ulterior measures, agreed, t"6
the committee then sitting should stand adjourned until it era
definitely ascertained what the Corporation purposed to nu_
The committee accordingly adjourned, after sonic names Pr"
posed were added to their number.