Letters addressed to the Board of Health, and to Richard Riker, recorder of the city of New-York : on the subject of his agency in constituting a special medical council / by James R. Manley.

  • Manley, James R., 1781-1851.
Date:
1832
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Letters addressed to the Board of Health, and to Richard Riker, recorder of the city of New-York : on the subject of his agency in constituting a special medical council / by James R. Manley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    The next day they made their report, and having so done, they tender their respects, presuming that they had fulfilled the objects of their appointment, by declaring the existence of the disease among us, and they waited the further orders of the Board; whereupon, on your motion, it was resolved that they be requested to continue their labours, and report what they may think useful to the board ! And they did so continue, and the public as you know, paid for this extra advice, only seven thousand four hundred and eighty nine dollars, of whicli your friend and brother-in-law, Dr. Mc Neven received nine hundred and fifteen dollars. Now mav T ask you to inform me for what services this money was paid ? Was the Board of Health any wiser after all these counsel fees were paid, than they were before they were appointed ? Did vou not expect, nay, were >ou not told to expect a report which would contradict, in every material point, the report made by the Resident Physician ? You may answer these questions at vour leisure, for myself, I am free to confess that I believe the report would have contradicted that made by me, if the special medical council could have resisted evidence with the same facility that you could, and did suppress it. But I have not finished mv account of your agency in this matter. About the middle of August, after about forty-four davs of service, fivp persons of the eight* who composed that medical council, tendered their resignations; and here again you was the first to suggest the reference of the paper to a committee, in order, as of course, to be made the chairman; but as the board had grown wiser bv their experience, they determined to accept the resigna- tions promptly, no person voting for your motion but yourself, and the members of the committee to whom the council were indebted for their appointments. If your resolution had prevailed, the public would doubtless have been amused by a hypothetic statement of the necessity of continuing them in commission, at an additional expense of about twelve hundred dollars; and all this was done without any attempt on your part to render a reason for the procedure. The above incident is only valuable, as it shows that your prudence and economy in the expenditure of the public monev. is in perfect keeping with your sincerity, integrity, and consistency in devising measures rendering expendi- ture necessary. * The eighth member was added about the fifth of July.