334 BRITISH PHYSICIANS. fifteen years ago, telling you that I never felt what was called patriotism : time has altered me in this respect, as well as in many others ; and I grieve to see the number of men who, some from ignorance and others from wickedness, are doing all they can to injure their country. At this time, a set of half-educated, wrong-headed, medical adventurers, are trying to persuade the Govern- ment that the plague is not contagious, and that there is no need of any precautions to keep it out of the country. The writings by which the public mind is assailed on this subject are filled with the most absurd reasoning, garbled statements, and all sorts of dishonest measures. Eminent men are even quoted against the contagiousness of the plague, who never entertained a doubt of the op- posite opinion. These writings are swallowed as gospel by worthy, active members of Parliament- are repeated in their speeches ; and I understand that the subject is to come before the House on Tuesday night, and that some material change is likely to be proposed, and even carried, in our quarantine-laws. Something ought to be done to stay the mischief. But what is every body's busi- ness, is nobody's business — the trustworthy minds are too busy, too modest, or too indolent to do any- thing, and thus the public are governed by, what William Taylor calls, not real merit, but noisy conspicuity. We deserve, however, to suffer, if we do not exert ourselves ; and as nobody else will undertake the task, I will. But here, unluckily, I have been disabled for some time by one of my old illnesses, which has confined me to the house nearly three weeks, and which has left me very
