A letter to the Right Honourable and Honourable the Directors of Greenwich Hospital, containing an exposure of the measures resorted to, by the medical officers of the London Eye Infirmary, for the purpose of retarding the adoption, and execution of plans for the extermination of the Egyptian ophthalmia from the Army, and from the Kingdom, submitted for the approval of Government, by Sir William Adams.

  • Adams, Sir William, 1783-1827.
Date:
1817
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A letter to the Right Honourable and Honourable the Directors of Greenwich Hospital, containing an exposure of the measures resorted to, by the medical officers of the London Eye Infirmary, for the purpose of retarding the adoption, and execution of plans for the extermination of the Egyptian ophthalmia from the Army, and from the Kingdom, submitted for the approval of Government, by Sir William Adams. 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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    and who had been introduced to me by a letter from that Gentleman a few days only previous to the com- mencement of this correspondence. After stating, in this letter, the circumstances as related by Mr. Russell, 1 proceeded in the following manner:— Feeling how much I am indebted to you for the professional information, which I possess, I leave the business wholly to you. Write to me, and say how I am to act; in whose name it is to be brought forward; and in what manner, Sec. In the answer which I received from Mr. Saunders, I was equally surprised and mortified on observing the following passage :— Your views can only be the enhancement of your own professional character, whilst mine you neglect, even when your notions originated from the observations made on the case of Mr. Fidkins. To this most unwarranted and unjustifiable remark, (for in such terms the duty 1 owe to myself obliges me to describe it,) I transmitted the following answer by the return of the post:— I declare, most solemnly, I never had an idea of assuming to myself any further credit than having improved the method of treating the disease. What I meant by asking whether it should appear in your name or mine was, whether you had any strong cases to recommend the practice, or whether you could bring it before the Commander-in-Chief officially ? No case can be stronger than one of mine the General saw (Frost's case), as he had been inspected by, at least, thirty Staff Surgeons, and, I believe, even by the Director-General; none of whom had the least idea of the complaint. I also added, That General Thewles, over and over again, assured me that any improvement of practice would be instantly attended to, and the inventor liberally rewarded, if the plan was to prove extensively useful. He also thought it probable that Go- vernment would establish hospitals, and call in all the pensioners to be examined by us. Do not therefore miss an opportunity so favourable as the present. I will act for you as for myself. I will get him to forward any proposition you would wish me, and entirely keep myself in the back ground. If my plan of treatment on trial should be found useful, do with it what you please, and consider it as your iown. I again declare, sacredly, that I should ever think myself ungrateful and dishonourable, had I acted otherwise than I have done,—^namely, asking, and beitig guided by, your wishes.