Observations, &c. on the epidemic disease, which lately prevailed at Gibraltar : intended to illustrate the nature of contagious fevers in general. [Pt. I] / by Seguin Henry Jackson.

  • Jackson, Seguin Henry, 1752-1816.
Date:
1806
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations, &c. on the epidemic disease, which lately prevailed at Gibraltar : intended to illustrate the nature of contagious fevers in general. [Pt. I] / by Seguin Henry Jackson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    consequence of either, as connected with the human economy, in the general scale of medical science and improvement. Health, disease and death, must have an immediate interest in the said principle, which is, that a determined portion of excitability is assigned to every individual at the commence- ment of his existence.” And it has been further advanced by Dr. Brown, that the common effects produced by the exciting powers are sense, motion, mental action, and the passions; which effects being one and the same, it must there- fore be granted, that the operation of all the powers is also one and the same.” The effect of the exciting pow'ers, acting uj)on the excitability, is excitement.” These opinions are however very well combated by the Editors of the Edin- burgh Medical Journal, who have pointed it out as unfortu- nate for the Brunonian system, “ that the author has made no provision in it for the recovery of exhausted excitability.” This charge has therefore been brought against its consistency; and in order to make the imperfections of this system more fully appear, they have observed, “ that some passions of the mind are highly exciting, and others are evidently depressing; but that, as a direct sedative had no place in the system of Brown, the passions having this effect had been sacrificed by him.” He seems to have advanced, that the depressing passions have no real or positive existence, and hav’^e only been considered by him as negations merely of the exciting passions.” Fear and grief,” said he, arc only diminu- tions, or lower degrees of confidence and joy.” As more immediately pointing to our subject, it may be proper also to observe, that Brown, consistent with his principle, considered, that contagions w’ere stimulant in their mode of operation:”