The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-01-09
Medical.


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Medical.
From the London correspondence
of the :.Romad Table," we extract
the following interesting medical
"reminiscences, which, as they refer to
two diseases, one now prevalent in
some of our sister cities, and the
other threatening its appearance in
America-the smallpox and the
Asiatic cholera-will doubtless in
terest our readers, and especially the
medical faculty:
DIR. Spencer Hall, very distin-
guished London physician, recently
declined to obey the law which re-
quircs that all infants shall, within a
certain period after their birth, (six
months, I believe, be vaccinated
When called upon by the authorities,
he responded in a very remarkable
letter, which was read before the
authorities, of Marylebone parish,
stating why he had determined to
pay the fine rather than have his
child vaccinated. He declares that
he has never been able to find a COW
with the disease, nor can he find in
England farmer who has ever seen
one with it, consequently the virus
which Is now used in England is
nearly or quite all taken from human
subjects. On inquiring at the vari Gus
hospitals, he finds from the medical
men employed in them that it is next
to impossible to get any real vaccine
matter, that is, from the cow He
also gives reasons for supposing that
nearly all of the virus in use has come
through the bloods of some three
hundred different people, many of
which must be tainted with some dis
ease. DR.. Hall prefers that his child
should incur the risk of the small -pox
to these taints. The dying out of the
disease among thecows has been at
tended by singular decrease in the
virulence of smallpox among human
beings. The disease, from being
among the most formidable, has now
almost lost its terrors. He thinks
that for soms reason or other-possi-
bly, becauseA fe whole community has
GssIIs gn1A %aie 5naeqlassaM oas aisese,has
Vhe Marylebone authorities were
considerably staggered by the doc
tors very able letter, and did MOI
know whether to impose the fine o.
not-the fine being arranged for the
negligent, not for the philosophical
They finally agreed to allow the doc
tor four months to hunt up some
original vaccine virus for his child.
The most important medical event
however, is that DR.. John Chapman
has certainly succeeded in making ar
impression ON the cholera with his
ice cure. This is acknowledged b,
the medical fraternity of England
and now no person is attacked but 6
bag filled with ice is ut once thrus,
upon the spine. The doctor pub.
llshed, some months ago, a pam phlet,
IN which he showed how deeply he
had studied the cholera in conn ection
with the ice treatment, which he had
tried upon diarrh@a with such sue
cess. When the cholera appeared at
Southampton, he hastened thither,
and found the physicians quite willing
to have him treat their cases. Though
called to those patients some time
after the disease had had its way with
them, he saved six. Two died, but
one was seventy three years of age,
and the other an habitual drunkard.
living in very filthy place Since
then the success has been most re-
markable, and it may be almost as.
sumed that this fierce visitor from
the tropics has been mastered in the
region of ice. Dr. Chapman is not
only known as yM eminens physician,
out as Literary gentleman of fine
He edited The Catholic
Series, which brought out in En- gland
, so"nany of the liberal religious pro.
ductlons Of America and Germany.
He has been for many years, and is
now, the editor of. the Westnsi,aste,
Reoiew. He is, however, not an ole
man, but bids fair to live many years
assisting humanity to give the colo
shoulder-or rather spine-to its va
rious ills.
Mr.. Quilp defines turkev to !,s