The Principle upon which this Resumption is made, is, because the Progress of a Pestilence may be stopt at any time, by strictly preventing all Intercourse of infected Places with the Neighbourhood. He brings as a Proof of this lusty Assertion, what has lately happened in the raging Plague at Marseilles; and alledges, that it has been effectually confined to that miserable Town, by keeping careful Guard. But alas! this Argument is out of doors. Happy were it for the People of France if they had greater Assurance of their Safety, than they can draw from such vain Promises of Insuring Physicians. And therefore his Objection remains in full Force, without any Satisfaction being given to it. I know from whence he took this Difficulty, but he ought to have been well satisfied that he had brought a full Solution to so powerful an Argument against all manner of Contagion. I will only repeat the Difficulty, and leave the clearing of it to the Patrons of a Pestilence being begot by Contagion; especially that it is a Step towards Dr. Mead’s next propagating Cause. It is asserted by those who oppose this Contagion, that a Plague is sometimes bred without it, otherwise it would be perpetual. This Assertion is made good, by considering a Country where a new Plague is broken out; and ask us, whether it be just then bred in that Country, or brought thither from elsewhere? If we grant the first, then indeed adieu to all Contagion: If the last, they bid us name the originary Place, where it was bred: Which would oblige us to the same Concession as the former. Therefore, say they, Contagion may propagate but not begin a Plague.
Leaving then Doctor Mead and his Contagion under the Restraint of a very good Argument, we will consider in the next Place, after what manner he conveys it to a sound Person, and he supposes the way to be commonly this: These contagious Particles—taint the salival Juices (or Spittle) which being swallowed down into the Stomach, presently fix their Malignity there; as appears from the Nausea and Vomiting, with which this Distemper often begins its first Attacks. But all this is acknowledged to be a Supposition, and not of sufficient Strength to bear so weighty a Building upon it. Secondly, If a Man does nor swallow his Spittle, or if he gargles his Throat very well before he does swallow it, there would be no danger from the Pestilence; but this slye Plague should be easily evaded. To what Purpose is this silly Supposition to bring it into the Stomach, and then to suppose it fixes its Malignity there, because People are often troubled with Vomiting when they are ill of the Plague. An admirable Way of Reasoning: and as Admiration begat Philosophy, so Dr. Mead’s Philosophy cannot fail of begetting Admiration: For if the Stomach must needs be the first Place affected by the Plague, and the Doctor is gone over to Van Helmont, cannot he convey it thither down by the Nose, or even through the Mouth, without infecting the Spittle.
Dr. Mead is grosly out in his Observation, for the Symptoms of the Heart, our Strength at least, being affected, are previous to his supposed Nausea and Vomiting; so that he not only ought to make no Question, but to be sure that the Blood is also more immediately affected; as the Multitude of Physicians besides Van Helmont and him have always believed: But I find his Fancy lies much in odd Conceits. I know a very honest Man, and a good Observer in Physick, who has fallen into this very Error in explaining this Symptom of Vomiting; but every Body will acknowledge that his Philosophy is no where the best: And when this Symptom is truly explained, we shall find that it is a Symptom of a Malignant Fever, as well as of the Plague, without any manner of Irritation, or of any other Hurt of that Nature, in the Stomach. And therefore as this Way of conveying the Plague, is a Supposition grounded upon no manner of Observation (as the Doctor argues in this Paragraph) so I think there is no need to have recourse to it.
On the other Hand, it might be demonstrated, from the Nature of the Plague, that it is never, or very rarely, communicated from one Person to another. At present we will content our selves, to evince this Truth by a Demonstration of another kind, which is from Observation, or à posteriori, and I will borrow it too from Mr. Graunt, in his Observations on the Bills of Mortality. In his Observations on the [[4]]Plague of 1636: He says it lasted 12 Years, in eight whereof there died 2000 per Annum one with another, and never under 800. The which shews, That the Contagion of the Plague depends more upon the Disposition of the Air, than upon the Effluvia from the Bodies of Men. Which also we prove by the sudden jumps which the Plague hath made, leaping in one Week from 118 to 927; and back again, from 993 to 258; and from thence again, the very next Week, to 852. The which Effects must surely be rather attributed to Change of the Air, than of the Constitutions of Mens Bodies, otherwise than as this depends upon that.
And therefore as this very common Opinion, about the Plague of Pestilence passing from one Body into another, is not supported by any good Reason, far less by the Suppositions and Innuendo’s of Dr. Mead; and is now contrary to the best Observation, most duly and properly made, we may not doubt to declare, that it very rarely, and perhaps never, proceeds that Way.
The Third Way Contagion is spread, is, by Goods transported from infected Places. But the Reason of this Fact seems to surmount his Understanding, and no wonder, for it has already puzzled all other Philosophers and Physicians, insomuch, that it has driven them into absurd Notions of Maggots, against all Observation. But, before a Philosopher would spend his Time about this Difficulty, he should be sure his Fact is indisputably true, for thereby he may save himself much Trouble and Babling, about a Matter that is false in Fact. However, this Difficulty may have blunted the Edge of every other Genius, he makes no doubt to conquer it, and account for it to the World, as he now does in the following Words: If, as we have conjectured, the Matter of Contagion be an active Substance, perhaps in the nature of a Salt, generated chiefly from the Corruption of a Human Body, it is not hard to conceive how this may be lodged and preserv’d in soft porous Bodies, which are kept pressed close together.
Dr. Mead has the readiest Way of getting rid of a Difficulty, of any Author, tho’ I cannot say it is always the most informing and perswasive. No Man that understands these Terms, a Salt, what it is to be soft and porous, dares keep back his Assent to a Proof grounded upon such manifest Observations, as Conjectures, Perhaps’s, and May-bee’s; all which are far more ingenious than Kircher’s Maggots-Eggs. However bold this Argument may be, yet if any one will deny his Matter of Contagion to be an active Substance; or, that it is a Salt; or, that it rather affects a soft Bed than one that is hard, this Third, and last propagating Cause, may prove to be no manner of Cause; and all the World, Merchants especially, cry out against their Merchandize serving Quarantine.
Could Dr. Mead bring all his ordinary Vouchers, I cannot say how far he might have gone in commanding a Submission from a great Number of Men to this Article: And therefore if any Person, or Persons, wants fuller Conviction, let him repair to the Coffee-Houses, where they shall have the Affidavits of ten Physicians, fifteen Apothecaries, and five Surgeons; and I’ll answer for it, eight in ten shall go, from Batson’s especially, fully satisfied with the Truth of the Premises. But can it be imagined this cunning Doctor would have expos’d his Character, in this Kind of Argument, to Men of Learning and Virtue. But here his drooping Spirits revert, and his Humility and Modesty vanish, having at this Stage got rid of the Necessity of Reasoning, the rest of this inimitable Work being to be carry’d on by Banter and Assertion; whereby let us take Measure of the Faith and Credulity of the good People of England; for if this passes, Transubstantiation may be the next Article he will propose to you; if it does not, the Doctor and his Book are discovered at the same Time.
Now we are prepared for all Dr. Mead’s Absurdities, Wit and Banter, the first Thing he presents us with, how long a Time Perfumes hold their Scent, if wrapt up in proper Coverings; and we must remark, That the strongest of those, like the Matter we are treating of (are mostly animal Juices) as Musk, Civet, &c. (if there be any more.) And the Substances that keep them the best, are those which receive and communicate the Plague, as Furs, Feathers, Silk, Hair, Wool, Cotton, Flax, &c. the greatest part of which are likewise of the animal Kind. If the Pestilence is now a Scent, yet surely it is a Noisome one; and if it can be kept, like Musk, in its proper Covering, fourty Days will never deliver us from our fears of it. But all this is only to amuse us with another new Conceit the Doctor would entertain us with, that the Matter of the Plague is an animal Juice; but pray, good Doctor, of what Animal? This is not only ridiculous, but overthrows every Opinion of Physicians that ever was broached about it. But not to baulk his Wit, this Perfume of the Plague, like Musk, is best kept in animal Substances; (Attraction would have preceded very decently, for a more proper Introduction) but is Musk, commonly kept in Furs or Cotton; if in the last, what Animal is it that yields us Cotton? As for Civet it is no runaway Merchandize. It is therefore very obvious, that Men are now passing a Review of their Credulity before Dr. Mead and the World. But there is another quaint Observation that must not be neglected, which is, That of all the mentioned Plague-Keepers, Three of them are animal Substances, and but Two of them of the vegetable Kind. Mighty fine! and well order’d: But if we turn to another Page of his [[5]]Book, we may find this useful Observation contradicted: But the greatest Danger from Goods, is from Cotton, Hemp, and Flax; Paper, or Books (Paper Books surely, or else their covering will keep them upon an Equality in ballancing Accompts) Silk, Linnen, Wool, Feathers, Hair, and Skins. In this Account, the vegetable and animal Plague-Keepers are equal in Number.
What Purposes does this Conceit serve? Why, only to support another Conceit, viz. That animal Substances most vigorously attract animal Effluvia, or that animal Effluvia run furiously into the Embraces of animal Substances; which we see by his fine Experiments, is a mere Fancy. As for Musk, Cotton secures it the fastest from running away; nor do we find that Feathers, Silk or Wool, are ever put upon that Service. But supposing every Thing true, and nothing whimsical, that has been now advanced by the Doctor, we might have expected a further Discovery; how these Perfumes come to desire their being beded, cherished, or fomented in soft animal Substances: Is it in Abhorrence of Annihilation, or by the Love they bear to one another? Or are they kept together, as the celebrated Jonathan Wild keeps a Felon? In short, is it by Sympathy or Antipathy? For if we are rightly instructed in these Matters, these Remarks alone may lead us into great and useful Practices; for if they are skilfully employ’d, they may, perhaps, as I conjecture, keep the Plague at bay, by being strung up, like Pirates, at High Water Mark.