Being thus possessed of this useful Machine, he tells us what wonderful feats he could perform by it, with the Help of Bellini’s Doctrine of Fevers, if he had any time to bestow on so great a Digression: for he could shew us, how the Alterations made in the Blood will favour Pestilential Diseases, by rendering the Body obnoxious to them. Why, this is the Favour we have waited for in eleven tedious Pages; and if he writes in English, we may thus be taught how the Blood is affected in Pestilential Diseases, by laying us a-bed languishing with them. This would not only be one step towards Contagion, as he artfully begins the next Paragraph, but might fully inform us of every thing we want to know concerning it. Why should the Great and Celebrated Dr. Mead call this a Digression? I wish he would begin thus to digress: but it is now too late, since he has already digressed from all his Title-Page, and the half of his Preface. Contagion was dropt at first, and now we find that Pestilential Contagion has no better Fate. How preventing may thrive under his Hands, is not hard to guess, since he knows nothing of what he promises to prevent. These Methods are very different from those taken in former times among us, and from what they commonly do abroad. Insomuch, that had any body writ in this Method, besides the Celebrated Doctor, I should have thought him the most ignorant, impertinent, and self-sufficient Person that ever made a Sale of Physick.
What Account can he give to Physicians, for thus despising the received Opinions of Hippocrates, and of all their learned and experienc’d Predecessors, who unanimously declare, that the Plague differs in nothing from a Fever; or else that a Fever attends every Plague of Pestilence. And, therefore, in him is all Physick, or else he knows nothing of it.
Nay, how can he answer it to himself, who in his Manifesto, in the very next Paragraph, is under an unavoidable Want of a Fever he formerly neglected. Here he tells us a Tale, That, the next (Step towards Contagion, and it is not safe to go too near it) as it seems to me, proceeds after this Manner. This kind of introductory Humility has been very fashionable, of late, among dignify’d Authors; for in advancing a Proposition, whereof they can bring no Proof, it is not to be thought how humble, how self-deny’d they are in that Instant; but they rant, swagger, and bully, if they get their Reader but Three Lines further. So this celebrated Author, after this humble Cringe, tells us, The Blood in all malignant Fevers, especially pestilential ones (to be sure) at the latter End of the Disease, does, like fermenting Liquors, throw off a great Quantity of active Particles upon the several Glands of the Body, particularly upon those of the Mouth and Skin, from which the Secretions are naturally the most constant and large. These, in pestilential Cases, although the Air be in a right State, will generally infect those who are very near to the sick Person; otherwise are soon dispersed and lost.
The first Part of this Declaration, if my Memory fails me not, is taken from the Doctor’s elaborate Essay on Poisons; and is brought forth with all its primitive Elegance, for the present Purpose; but by no means answers his Want of it: For it does not appear, by any manner of Observation, that the Blood throws off any active Particles at the latter End of malignant Fevers, so there is no need to have Recourse to this Supposition. But why upon any Glands? This Expression does not favour of understanding Anatomy. Why upon the Glands of the Mouth? Surely this Supposition is not of any Use in this Place, however serviceable it might prove in the mentioned Book, when the Slabbering of a mad Dog was upon the Anvil. Moreover, Is Secretion most constantly performed at the Glands of the Mouth and of the Skin? Surely not, as Sanctorius evinces, and is evident from the Doctrine of Secretions, perfectly well explain’d many Years ago.
Next, let us suppose that this is Standard Physick, as it is quite the Reverse of it; what mighty matter is to be drawn from it? Why, these active Particles, tho’ the Air be pure, will infect those who are very near to the sick Person; otherwise are soon dispersed and lost. I hope there is no harm in the last, and there is no Proof alledg’d for the former. So that his next Step towards Contagion, does not proceed at all. I cannot tell how well he manages in the remaining Part of the Paragraph; and therefore I will only set it in View, that any Person of a more enlighten’d Understanding than my self may profit by the Doctor’s own Words. But when in an evil Disposition of this they meet with these subtle Parts its Corruption has generated, by uniting with them, they become much more active and powerful, and likewise more durable and lasting, so as to form an infectious Matter, capable of conveying the Mischief to a great Distance from the diseased Body, out of which it was produced.
Now if Dr. Mead’s Narration is to the Purpose, it goes further than he design’d it should; for how are the active Particles, like fermented Liquors, thrown out of the Blood in the latter End of malignant Fevers, and that in so great Plenty, and of so great Energy, that they themselves had been able to have helped to his next Step of Contagion, if he had not luckily interposed with a saving Clause, especially pestilential ones, whereby the last would have been deprived of all the Honour of making Contagion: But what is still worse, Fevers, especially those that are malignant, are now the chief Article in this Account, and leave Dr. Mead inexcusable, for not applying Almighty Fermentation to the learned Bellini’s Theory of Fevers. And here let it be observ’d, That those pestilential Steams go no great Length, ’till they are enabled by the next, unintelligible Means, whereby is formed an infectious Matter capable of conveying the Mischief to a great Distance. I hope Doctor Mead understands his last Words; for my Part, I do not, and by the next Paragraph I find my self still more unqualify’d to receive his Story of Contagion.
The former Piece of Knowledge is open to those only who are the familiar Friends of Attractions and Combinations made by Volatile Spirits; and we who are Strangers to these powerful Words, cannot hope for any Instruction. But to shew Dr. Mead I have been at true Pains to come acquainted with them, I find there was Old Attraction, Son of Aristotle; and there is Young Attraction, the great Geometrician; and a Counterfeit of this in the Works of the celebrated Doctor Anodyne Necklace; which last is mighty like Attraction before us; but as he is spurious, I must own that I do not find how this Attraction brings me to a clearer Understanding of the foregoing Paragraph. As to Combination, whether that of Cooks, or Algebraists, it is of very little or no Use to me. I must confess, a good Use may be made of these Words; for they will exchange with Fermentation, at any Time that an Author finds himself disposed to write on a Subject without understanding it.
For Instance, I now intend to make a short Discourse about the Philosopher’s Stone, and a Method for finding it; a very agreeable Offer to the Publick, when Money is scarce, and Credit very low, through the great Industry of the ingenious Directors of the South Sea. When, I say, a Man forms to himself this useful Project, Attraction and Combination does it at once. The Receipt is easy; it is but taking of Attraction, Circulation, Cohobation, Concentration, a. q. s. Combination, q. s. M. If this Receipt is duly managed, it will not only make the Philosopher’s Stone, and the grand Elixir, but cures the Plague, and all Diseases, Curable or Incurable. But it is to be noted, that when you would explain how Attraction makes a Plague, you must be sure due Consideration be had to the Facility and Aptness of all kind of Effluvia to be diffused in a warm Air, such as we have described an infectious one to be. And, therefore, as the Whole of Infecting Air is an ill-made Story, supported by Cant and Gibberish, we will take Leave of it, and his mortify’d Limb together, tho’ it is brought to give further Light to this strange Stuff.
But, to proceed, the celebrated Doctor smells a Rat; that unless the Air is allowed a greater Share of shedding Destruction than he has hitherto allotted it, Matters may go very hard with the whole Doctrine of Contagion; and therefore, notwithstanding its being a Medium for propagating Contagion only, the Doctor is now willing to pronounce, with full Power, and for Fear of great Inconveniencies that follow close at the Heels of the former Doctrine, that a corrupted State of Air is without Doubt necessary to give these contagious Atoms their full Force; for otherwise it is not easy to conceive how the Plague should ever cease, but with the Destruction of all the Inhabitants. Here is a Devil raised indeed, and he will not be in the least quieted, unless Dr. Mead will contradict himself, and renounce the half of his Defence, for the Pureness and Uncorruptedness of Air. And what will not a Man do for a quiet Life. And even the English Air, that could formerly kill the greatest Plague, is now without doubt under a State of Corruption: For if that is not admitted, God have Mercy on all English Men. This is very kind in the Doctor, to take shame to himself for the Good of his Country.
Conveniency is a pretty Argument, but not very cogent, as we now see; for this corrupted State of Air is only an Expedient to get rid of a Pestilence; because by Supposing an Emendation of the Qualities of the Air, and restoring of it to a healthy State, capable of dissipating and suppressing the Malignity, we put an end to the Plague in an instant. Mighty fine, and Meadish; tho’ he might have put a stop to a Plague at an easier rate, than the Loss of his Hypothesis; for as the stress of the Expedient rests upon another fine Word, supposing; why, he needed only to suppose that the whole Magazine of Poison is stopped at once, it matters not whether that be by an Army, by making it serve a Quarantine, by an Amulet, or that the raw Damp is again attracted by the Sea. I hope due Consideration will be had to this Expedient, in a new Edition of the short Discourse; if so be it has one. This would do much better than to make another Drawback, which we find is done in the very next Paragraph; for there, Infection is not received from the Air it self, however predisposed, without the Concurrence of something emitted from infected Persons. Now if Infection is never receiv’d from the Air upon any Account whatsoever, it is manifest, that the Air is a Medium, that can neither do Good nor Hurt, and so to the right about, and the former Allowance is recalled; so that the former Difficulty still remains, and consequently a Plague once begun in a Country, never comes to an end, as long as there is a Man alive.