A description of the jail distemper, as it appeared amongst the Spanish prisoners, at Winchester, in the year 1780; with an account of the means employed for curing that fever, and for destroying the contagion, which gave rise to it / by James Carmichael Smyth, M.D. F.R.S. fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, and physician extraordinary to His Majesty.

  • Smyth, James Carmichael, 1741-1821.
Date:
1795
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A description of the jail distemper, as it appeared amongst the Spanish prisoners, at Winchester, in the year 1780; with an account of the means employed for curing that fever, and for destroying the contagion, which gave rise to it / by James Carmichael Smyth, M.D. F.R.S. fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, and physician extraordinary to His Majesty. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by University of Bristol Library. The original may be consulted at University of Bristol Library.

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    nature and origin of the jail contagion naturally led to the proper and effectual means of correcting or deftroying it, fo, on the other hand, the means that have been fuccefsfully employed to deftroy it, af- ford the moft convincing evidence of its true nature. Every fpecies of contagion has its virulence leffened, and is at laft completely effaced, by expofure to the open air. Whether the atmofpheric air has the power of difTolving contagion, (accord- ing to Dr. Haygarth) or only diffufes] it, in fuch a manner as to render it harm- lefs, cannot poflibly be afcertained, nor is it of any importance to know. Water pof- felfes the fame power as air, and may be employed with equal fuccefs, in removing contagion from clothes or furniture. In refpecl: to fpecific contagions, unlefs it be expofure to the open air, or to a ftream of water, we know no means of deftroying them, or even of blunting their activity. The cafe is not the fame with putrid E 3 contagions;