DR. PARKIN'S BOOK ON EPIDEMICS.
THE following letter from Dr. PARKIN refers to the charge of plagiarism brought against him by our correspondent J. M. G. ; upon which he fairly claims a right to be heard.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR.
18 Dover Street. 20th December 1841.
Sr's—Observing in a late number of the Spectator (December 11th) a let- ter signed J. M. G., in which it is stated that " my hypothesis is by no means a new one, for that the writers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries attri- buted the epidemics which they describe to the agency of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes; while a more recent and full discussion of the hypothesis in question is to be found in the work of an American writer, Dr. Noah Web-
ater" ;* and as you have been pleased to add, that " the attempt to pass off
a theory at variance with and different from those hitherto broached," as my own, in the teeth of the facts stated by your correspondent, is " unjustifiable," I am induced to address you on the present occasion, in order to correct this, as 1 hope to show, erroneous conclusion of the writer, and at the same time to clear myself from the charge brought against me by you. By a reference to my work, it will be seen that I have neither stated nor implied that the idea, the mere hypothesis of disease being sometimes pro- duced by volcanic agency, was new ; for the fact that diseases of limited extent and duration have been attributed to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, is so well and so generally known, that I felt it unnecessary to do more than refer to the circumstance in support of one of my conclusions, viz. that gases injurious to animal life are generated in subterranean reservoirs. This effect, however, is so rare, and the operation of such a cause so limited, that we can derive no evidence from this source alone as regards the production of disease in general ; and Noss WEBSTER is the only writer, as far as I am aware,who has attempted to show that there is a connexion between epidemics in general and volcanic effects, or eruptions and earthquakes. So far, however, from wishing to keep this fact from the knowledge of my readers, I have referred to the work of this author, and have given annotations that coma not rail to establish this point. More than this I could not do; for although WEBSTER has written a work ex- pressly to prove the connexion that appears to exist between epidemic diseases, atmospherical plimnomena, and volcanic effects, he has not attempted to show what is the actual relation between these different phwnomena, nor the manner in which the former are produced. In fact, WEBSTER has merely chronicled the events that occurred during the prevalence of the epidemics to which he refers, without giving any theory in order to account for the production of the latter. This is evident from the author's own words; for he remarks—" With respect to the primary (or remote) causes of epidemic diseases, we are in the dark; but we are certain from all history and modern observation, that those causes affect every species of animal and vegetable life. The opinions which I have suggested concerning the general cause seem to have a foundation in the coincidence of epidemic distempers with numerous electrical phmnomena. At the same time, the reader will consider these opinions rather as conjectural than positive. No certain conclusions can be drawn from an interrupted and imper- fect series of facts : more materials are necessary to enable us to erect a theory of epidemics which shall deserve full confidence." What WEBSTER'S opinions were on this subject may be gleaned from the
above, and more particularly from other passages in his work : these were, that electricity is the grand agent in the production of all the phtenomena between which he has attempted to establish a connexion. Thus, in speaking of earthquakes, he says, " They are moat unquestionably the effect of the elec- trical fluid rushing from one part of our system into another,"—an old opinion, but one now generally abandoned ; and he adds in another place, " If we admit, then, the above action of electricity to be the cause of earthquakes, we shall have reached the general proximate cause of those epidemic diseases which speedily succeed concussions of the earth "; and he draws the same inference with respect to those epidemics which are unaccompanied by eruptions and con- cussions, as well as all the various phaenomena, atmospherical and others, re- ferred to by him ; for he remarks—" I cannot help thinking that the only effi- cient cause capable of extending the principle of destruction through the differ- ent elements, is the all-pervading element of fire or electricity. The modes operandi is among the impenetrable arcane of the physical world." To say, therefore, that WEBSTER ascribes the production of epidemic diseases to vol- canic agency, is not borne out by the evidence : the term electrical agency ought to be substituted instead ; for although he sometimes makes use of the word fire, he means not volcanic fire, but electricity, as he uses the two terms synonymously. This is evident from the annotation given above.
Such conclusions as these are very different to that which I have drawn on
the subject, viz. that these diseases are to be ascribed to the direct agency of volcanic action. By volcanic action I do not mean a certain undefined some- thing, and having reference to the effects rather than the cause,—as some per- sons seem to understand the term,—but a peculiar process, which commences in one spot and thence spreads slowly and gradually along particular lines of the earth's surface, having its rise and decline in definite portions of time, being confined in its operation to those particular lines, and giving rise to products which vary at different periods or stages of the process—one of which is the generation of a poison injurious to animal life • and which, as I infer, is extri- cated into the atmosphere, at particular periods, by natural and not artificial or accidental channels.
By such a theory we can alone account for the production of a disease like that of the black death, or epidemic cholera, which extended over the whole globe and prevailed in all situations, and during every kind of weather, the same in coun- tries where concussions and eruptions are frequent as where these pbHnomena are not observed, and in the midst of serene as well as in unsettled states of the atmosphere. Hence the distinction between my views and those of pre-
• " Mr." it should be, as this writer was not of the medical profession. ceding authors; and hence the reasons why I have called my theory a new one and different from those hitherto broached.
There are also some other remarks made at the same time, and more par- ticularly in the preceding number, by the reviewer of my work, on which I should have been glad to offer a few words; but as these remarks fall within the fair and legitimate province of criticism, I must refrain from entering into the subject now, feeling that I have no right to make use of the pages of your review as a battle-field to prove the justness of my own conclusions or the fallacy of those drawn by others. I will therefore reserve myself on these points until I enter upon the inquiry which I have stated it is my intention to make as to the connexion which arises between epidemics and endemics: but I must in the meanwhile offer my dissent to the general conclusions drawn by the writer of that article.
Our remark or " charge "upon the statements of J. M. G. was hypothetical, based upon the supposition " that the works referred to by our correspondent produced the Eame impression on the mind of a reader before as after an acquaintance with Dr. Parkin's theory." A like qualification must apply to Dr. PARKIN'S present communication ; for, not having read the authors referred to, we cannot undertake to decide between our correspondents.
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