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

THE FEVER SHEDS,

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 say
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 !I ) Perhaps one or other of such par-
ties are writing as physicians in the public press, for the purpose
of lending a surruptitious credit to a defeated cause. I pre-
sume, that "Z " 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 "up to Saturday night" in the science he professes
to handle, however satisfactory possible to the Select Vestry I
As for his charitable insinuations, they must have torn his own
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 1 "
There is only one sentence in the whole letter that merits s
special answer, and that is the charge of the " three physi-
cians" being the first on record who' have been a igrf
Had the vestryman or his shadow known the
teat
irac
of fever
the
patients in the town the deaths from fever, or the fact that
case; had he known, for instance, the actro•- number
the mortality is more, than 100 per cent. above the average, and
that the real condition of things has been carefully concealed
from the public, to prevent alarm ; and
had he known
that Liverpool is subject to severe epidemic fevers, which
is not the case at present, for no epidemic exists, but simply s
fever from known physical causes : he would have seen that
our only desire was to forewarn the public, so as to forcers,
them—and to have every fever case removed out of the town—
and especially to preVent any being brought into a ward where
there are nuisauces enough already.
These steps, we contend, are absolutely necessary, for a very
fatal epidemic has appeared in the northern counties, and maY
appear here at any time ; and all parties will have to regret
that the nidus of pestilence which now exists had not been re-
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 servant,
GEO. C. WATSON, M.D.

Bedford-street, North, 10th May,

THE IRISH IN LlVERPOOL.—Yesterday, a deputation, con-
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 (lays, been in course of signature, asking of his worship
to call a town's meeting on the subject of the burthen imposed
upon this town by the influx of Irish poor. We learn that? as
the result, his worship was induced to call a public meeting,
which will be held in the Sessions-house to-morrow.
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST FEVER.—Three thousand of the
habitations condemned by the sanatory act, we are informed
have been permitted to be occupied by the poor and wretched
immigrants from Ireland in this town. There they are fester-
ing with disease—creating disease— and yet we have outskirts
available, which, by the aid of government, who, we are cer-
tain, would not deny us aid in our hour of need, might
be used without entailing any evil or damage upon the neigh-
bourhood. The ordnance department has an ample store of
tents, which might be usefully employed as recipients of fever
patients; and we do not think that an addition to our present
stork of hulks in the river would be refused, were we to apply
for them.

MEETING OF THE RATEPAYERS OF TOXTETH PARK.—AO
adjourned meeting of ratepayers of Toxteth -Park was held last
night, at the Royal Oak, Park-road, for the further considera-
tion of matters connected with the administration of the
affairs of the parish. Mr. William Short was called to the
Chair, and read a letter from the Mayor, handed to him by Mr-
Rd. Harbord, addressed to Mr. 11. G. Harbord, chairman at
the previous meting ; acknowledging, in polite terms, the receipt
of the memorial transmitted by him on behalf of the meetings
stating that he v t(

rennin(' to assure the memorialists that it shout°
receive the best attention of the Health Committee of the
Council. The mceling being merely preliminary to a gene&
and more public meeting of the rate-payers, it was simply,
after some conversation as to ulterior measures, agreed, that
the committee then sitting should stand adjourned until it was
definitely ascertained what the Corporation purposed to do.
The committee accordingly adjourned, after some names pro-
posed were added to their number.