The Washington union., 1857-05-23

subject Of inquiry for the civil magistrate well the
doctors most especially after the unsatisfactory report Of
the physicians The dead RATS the poisoned eisten and
other absurd extayagant reports spread abroad in
relation 10 this affair, my mind indicate design In
some quarter other mslead the public and put it
ON wrong scent, for purposes which yet remain mys
terry.
have you know high respect for the opinions Of
physicians, especially when am sick and when find
two who are Of the opinion (Which, to be sure Is
not often) am always ready to pay due respect TO their
authority But the misfortune is they seldom agree
i never knew instance of an epidemic in the origin
of which they did not differ as wide the poles When
brought to testify before eoroners jury, court
there is sorry u say, generally many opinions
doctors and instead Of clearing up doubts establishing
facts dispeng mysteries by the light of science both
courts and jues too often conounded by contTadc
tory opinions theories These inconsistencies and
contradictions sometimes shake my faith in the doctors
and incline to surmse that if the great poet says
"a little learning is dangerous thing, great deal is
still One would think that medicine is a SCI
ence that all sciences based great principles the
result of long experience and il is maxim that princ
pies always the same, scientific men, and especially
professional men, would always agree. But mdbi daa
there people in the world ministers Of the Gospel
of Peace perhaps excepted who constantly at log
versities Of opinion necessarily diminish conf
denoe in the medical profession which is greatly 20 be
regretted since the faith the patient is half the
battle
But be this as it may Other physicians at distance
who attended the victims of this mysterious malady and
had full opportunity to examine the pathology and dag
noscs you understand these mattcr) Of each sep
aate case have given it their decided conviction that
they did not originate in malaria but in mineral poison
| - 4 A.
features this remarkable is that far have
seem single of the victims Of this mysterious
malady has been subjected to Ioa-paen examination,
This conviction the part OF physicians, presume,
of equal standing, and whose opportunities Of judging
greatly superior TO those of Washington would seem
quite sufficient not only to justify, but demand another
and more searching investigation-I don't into
the kitchen and scuery but investigation Of mags
armed with proper authority aided by police o
GERS whose occupation enables them T. detect vany,
it erc by instinct and renders them familiar with
as well as more dcxterous in ferreting out suspicious
characters There must be clue to the mystery.
Notwithstanding that extraordinary delay, which is not
the least part OF the mystery it may not yet be too late
to develop what both myself and those around believe
was the plot Of some ignorant, malignant Inscreant
who for the purpose of being revenged one man,
risked that of hundreds just the African slave, 70
be rcyenged on his master, posons his wife and chill
drcn.
There are really some pecularities in this whole affair
and especially the it has been treated by your
CITY fathers Ia majority of whom hear staunch de-
votses Of the higher law that greatly puzzle at this
distance 1t seems have been designely overlooked
or neglected until the fresh tracks obt Grated and
the perpetrators of the crime M there any suc had
full opportunity escape detection and punishment
ascribe no such motives to those gentlemen only say
they have laid themselves open to this suspicion
Every day we hear Of victim TO this slow con-
srlmng venom twhatever it may be,l whose maiaiy Is
distinctly traced single source and whose symp
toms are so uniform and identical to furnish an irre
ssble presumption il absolute proof that they were
derived from Yet nothing eiectaal has been
done or attempted but the appointment of q new
medical commission without the power or means OF ma
king complete investigation whh is nothing but a
repetition of the old expedent The public viii be LETT
in the same or greater state Of doubt and suspicion
saw suspicion for you my friend that strange
whispers arc abroadso low indeed, they scarcely
heard but they will become louder soon. There must
have been some object of ordinary importance conte
plated by this whoesae poisoning there must have been
some particular person persons singled out from the
crowd Of victims 1t cannot be presumed the intention
was to poison them ALL The parties whoever they werc
must have left some track behind them. Let the
saunch settlers Of the police be let loose to beat the
bushes; If they want any assistance lend some
from The pureis of the Tomts who, win venture to
say. viii meet with no difficulty in finding needle in q
hnystack, or rogue in the sanctuary of a church
Yours, always, asaeo
p spIease to remember me to your neighbor Gales,
and tell him he should change the name Of the National
to that OF the Anglo -Hispano- mtelligcncer