at　period　among　the　other　patients　of　the　Westminster　General　Dispensary；　who　had　been　attended　by　the　other　midwives　belonging　to　that　institution。〃
  The　recurrence　of　long　series　of　cases　like　those　I　have　cited；　reported　by　those　most　interested　to　disbelieve　in　contagion；　scattered　along　through　an　interval　of　half　a　century；　might　have　been　thought　sufficient　to　satisfy　the　minds　of　all　inquirers　that　here　was　something　more　than　a　singular　coincidence。　　But　if；　on　a　more　extended　observation；　it　should　be　found　that　the　same　ominous　groups　of　cases　clustering　about　individual　practitioners　were　observed　in　a　remote　country；　at　different　times；　and　in　widely　separated　regions；　it　would　seem　incredible　that　any　should　be　found　too　prejudiced　or　indolent　to　accept　the　solemn　truth　knelled　into　their　ears　by　the　funeral　bells　from　both　sides　of　the　ocean；the　plain　conclusion　that　the　physician　and　the　disease　entered；　hand　in　hand；　into　the　chamber　of　the　unsuspecting　patient。
  That　such　series　of　cases　have　been　observed　in　this　country；　and　in　this　neighborhood；　I　proceed　to　show。
  In　Dr。　Francis's　〃Notes　to　Denman's　Midwifery；〃　a　passage　is　cited　from　Dr。　Hosack；　in　which　he　refers　to　certain　puerperal　cases　which　proved　fatal　to　several　lying…in　women；　and　in　some　of　which　the　disease　was　supposed　to　be　conveyed　by　the　accoucheurs　themselves。
  A　writer　in　the　〃New　York　Medical　and　Physical　Journal〃　for　October；　1829；　in　speaking　of　the　occurrence　of　puerperal　fever；　confined　to　one　man's　practice；　remarks；　〃We　have　known　cases　of　this　kind　occur；　though　rarely；　in　New　York。〃
  I　mention　these　little　hints　about　the　occurrence　of　such　cases；　partly　because　they　are　the　first　I　have　met　with　in　American　medical　literature；　but　more　especially　because　they　serve　to　remind　us　that　behind　the　fearful　array　of　published　facts　there　lies　a　dark　list　of　similar　events；　unwritten　in　the　records　of　science；　but　long　remembered　by　many　a　desolated　fireside。
  Certainly　nothing　can　be　more　open　and　explicit　than　the　account　given　by　Dr。　Peirson　of　Salem；　of　the　cases　seen　by　him。　　In　the　first　nineteen　days　of　January；　1829；　he　had　five　consecutive　cases　of　puerperal　fever；　every　patient　he　attended　being　attacked；　and　the　three　first　cases　proving　fatal。　　In　March　of　the　same　year　he　had　two　moderate　cases；　in　June；　another　case；　and　in　July；　another；　which　proved　fatal。　　〃Up　to　this　period；〃　he　remarks；　〃I　am　not　informed　that　a　single　case　had　occurred　in　the　practice　of　any　other　physician。　　Since　that　period　I　have　had　no　fatal　case　in　my　practice；　although　I　have　had　several　dangerous　cases。　　I　have　attended　in　all　twenty　cases　of　this　disease；　of　which　four　have　been　fatal。　　I　am　not　aware　that　there　has　been　any　other　case　in　the　town　of　distinct　puerperal　peritonitis；　although　I　am　willing　to　admit　my　information　may　be　very　defective　on　this　point。　　I　have　been　told　of　some　I　'mixed　cases；'　and　'morbid　affections　after　delivery。'〃
  In　the　〃Quarterly　Summary　of　the　Transactions　of　the　College　of　Physicians　of　Philadelphia〃　may　be　found　some　most　extraordinary　developments　respecting　a　series　of　cases　occurring　in　the　practice　of　a　member　of　that　body。
  Dr。　Condie　called　the　attention　of　the　Society　to　the　prevalence；　at　the　present　time；　of　puerperal　fever　of　a　peculiarly　insidious　and　malignant　character。　　〃In　the　practice　of　one　gentleman　extensively　engaged　as　an　obstetrician；　nearly　every　female　he　has　attended　in　confinement；　during　several　weeks　past；　within　the　above　limits〃　（the　southern　sections　and　neighboring　districts）；　〃had　been　attacked　by　the　fever。〃
  〃An　important　query　presents　itself；　the　Doctor　observed；　in　reference　to　the　particular　form　of　fever　now　prevalent。　　Is　it；　namely；　capable　of　being　propagated　by　contagion；　and　is　a　physician　who　has　been　in　attendance　upon　a　case　of　the　disease　warranted　in　continuing；　without　interruption；　his　practice　as　an　obstetrician？　Dr。　C。；　although　not　a　believer　in　the　contagious　character　of　many　of　those　affections　generally　supposed　to　be　propagated　in　this　manner；　has　nevertheless　become　convinced　by　the　facts　that　have　fallen　under　his　notice；　that　the　puerperal　fever　now　prevailing　is　capable　of　being　communicated　by　contagion。　　How　otherwise　can　be　explained　the　very　curious　circumstance　of　the　disease　in　one　district　being　exclusively　confined　to　the　practice　of　a　single　physician；　a　Fellow　of　this　College；　extensively　engaged　in　obstetrical　practice；while　no　instance　of　the　disease　has　occurred　in　the　patients　under　the　care　of　any　other　accoucheur　practising　within　the　same　district；　scarcely　a　female　that　has　been　delivered　for　weeks　past　has　escaped　an　attack？〃
  Dr。　Rutter；　the　practitioner　referred　to；　〃observed　that；　after　the　occurrence　of　a　number　of　cases　of　the　disease　in　his　practice；　he　had　left　the　city　and　remained　absent　for　a　week；　but　on　returning；　no　article　of　clothing　he　then　wore　having　been　used　by　him　before；　one　of　the　very　first　cases　of　parturition　he　attended　was　followed　by　an　attack　of　the　fever；　and　terminated　fatally；　he　cannot；　readily；　therefore；　believe　in　the　transmission　of　the　disease　from　female　to　female；　in　the　person　or　clothes　of　the　physician。〃
  The　meeting　at　which　these　remarks　were　made　was　held　on　the　3d　of　May；　1842。　　In　a　letter　dated　December　20；　1842；　addressed　to　Dr。　Meigs；　and　to　be　found　in　the　〃Medical　Examiner；〃　　he　speaks　of　〃those　horrible　cases　of　puerperal　fever；　some　of　which　you　did　me　the　favor　to　see　with　me　during　the　past　summer；〃　and　talks　of　his　experience　in　the　disease；　〃now　numbering　nearly　seventy　cases；　all　of　which　have　occurred　within　less　than　a　twelvemonth　past。〃
  And　Dr。　Meigs　asserts；　on　the　same　page；　〃Indeed；　I　believe　that　his　practice　in　that　department　of　the　profession　was　greater　than　that　of　any　other　gentleman；　which　was　probably　the　cause　of　his　seeing　a　greater　number　of　the　cases。〃　　This　from　a　professor　of　midwifery；　who　some　time　ago　assured　a　gentleman　whom　he　met　in　consultation；　that　the　night　on　which　they　met　was　the　eighteenth　in　succession　that　he　himself　had　been　summoned　from　his　repose；　seems　hardly　satisfactory。
  I　must　call　the　attention　of　the　inquirer　most　particularly　to　the　（Quarterly　Report　above　referred　to；　and　the　letters　of　Dr。　Meigs　and　Dr。　Rutter；　to　be　found　in　the　〃Medical　Examiner。〃　　Whatever　impression　they　may　produce　upon　his　mind；　I　trust　they　will　at　least　convince　him　that　there　is　some　reason　for　looking　into　this　apparently　uninviting　subject。
  At　a　meeting　of　the　College　of　Physicians　just　mentioned；　Dr。　Warrington　stated；　that　a　few　days　after　assisting　at　an　autopsy　of　puerperal　peritonitis；　in　which　he　laded　out　the　contents　of　the　abdominal　cavity　with　his　hands；　he　was　called　upon　to　deliver　three　women　in　rapid　succession。　　All　of　these　women　were　attacked　with　different　forms　of　what　is　commonly　called　puerperal　fever。　　Soon　after　these　he　saw　two　other　patients；　both　on　the　same　day；　with　the　same　disease。　　Of　these　five　patients　two　died。
  At　the　same　meeting；　Dr。　West　mentioned　a　fact　related　to　him　by　Dr。　Samuel　Jackson　of　Northumberland。　　Seven　females；　delivered　by　Dr。　Jackson　in　rapid　succession；　while　practising　in　Northumberland　County；　were　all　attacked　with　puerperal　fever；　and　five　of　them　died。　　〃Women；〃　he　said；　〃who　had　expected　me　to　attend　upon　them；　now　becoming　alarmed；　removed　out　of　my　reach；　and　others　sent　for　a　physician　residing　several　miles　distant。　　These　women；　as　well　as　those　attended　by　midwives；　all　did　well；　nor　did　we　hear　of　any　deaths　in　child…bed　within　a　radius　of　fifty　miles；　excepting　two；　and　these　I　afterwards　ascertained　to　have　been　caused　by　other　diseases。〃　　He　underwent；　as　he　thought；　a　thorough　purification；　and　still　his　next　patient　was　attacked　with　the　disease　and　died。　　He　was　led　to　suspect　that　the　contagion　might　have　been　carried　in　the　gloves　which　he　had　worn　in　attendance　upon　the　previous　cases。　　Two　months　or　more　after　this　he　had　two　other　cases。　　He　could　find　nothing　to　account　for　these；　unless　it　were　the　instruments　for　giving　enemata；　which　had　been　used　in　two　of　the　former　cases；　and　were　employed　by　these　patients。　　When　the　first　case　occurred；　he　was　attending　and　dressing　a　limb　extensively　mortified　from　erysipelas；　and　went　immediately　to　the　accouchement　with　his　clothes　and　gloves　most　thoroughly　imbued　with　its　efluvia。　　And　here　I　may　mention；　that　this　very　Dr。　Samuel　Jackson　of　Northumberland　is　one　of　Dr。　Dewees's　authorities　against　contagion。
  The　three　following　statements　are　now　for　the　first　time　given　to　the　public。　　All　of　the　cases　referred　to　occurred　within　this　State；　and　two　of　the　three　series　in　Boston　and　its　immediate　vicinity。
  I。　　The　first　is　a　series　of　cases　which　took　place　during　the　last　spring　in　a　town　at　some　distance　from　this　neighborhood。　　A　physician　of　that　town；　Dr。　C。；　had　the　following　consecutive　cases。
  No。　　1；　delivered　March　20；　died　March　24。　　　〃　　2；　　　〃　　　　　　　April　　9；　　　〃　　April　14。　　　〃　　3；　　　〃　　　　　　　　　〃　　　10；　　　〃　　　〃　　　　14。　　　〃　　4；　　　〃　　　　　　　　　〃　　　11；　　　〃　　　〃　　　　18。　　　〃　　5；　　　〃　　　　　　　　　〃　　　27；　　　〃　　　May　　　3。　　　〃　　6；　　　〃　　　　　　　　　〃　　　28；　had　some　symptoms；（recovered。）　　　〃　　7；