Historic Sketch of the Causes, Extent, and Mortality of Contagious Fever

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. Important as is the influence of such an agent in every country it is peculiarly so in Ireland where, unfortunately, there exist so many drawbacks, elsewhere unknown, upon the happiness and prosperity of its people.

Calculating on these considerations I might perhaps have proceeded at once to the discussion of such a subject without further ceremony or preamble, and with a feeling too of professional competence, had it not been officially stated and forcibly impressed upon a Committee of the Commons House of Parliament by a member of the Medical Board, high in the confidence of the Irish Government, that we must look beyond medical judgment and medical exertions for palliating or removing this heavy affliction, and had not the same authority also apprized us that unless the wisdom and energy of the legislature and of the government may do something in the matter, we must continue to suffer under this scourge until it shall please God to remove it.