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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    2$ veined by a pure, intelligent and disinterested spirit in the late administration of your public duties. In my next and last, I in- tend to gather up the testimony now distributed through four let- ters, and accompany it with some remarks. JAMES R. MANLEY, Resident Physician. No. 19 White-street, ) November 17, 1832. \ To Richard Riker, Recorder. Sir, I have addressed four letters to you, on the subject of your agency in the Board of Health, during the last summer, which I presume you have read, as I have understood, that in speaking of them, you have, with your accustomed pleasantry, re- marked, that We great men must submit to these things : they contained, however, matter of grave concernment, not only as they affect you, but as they may influence future Boards of Health. The facts therein stated, you may affect to disregard, presuming that the silence of so great a man as the Recorder, will be received by the public, as conclusive evidence of the rectitude of his inten- tions, be the consequences of his conduct what they may : but it is an act of charity to inform you, that in this matter you are much deceived. There is not one person in the Board or out of it, who has not been long since convinced, that your connection with the Board, has been productive of more embarrassment than all other causes combined, with the single exception of pestilence itself; and if you require proof of this opinion, you will find it in the fact, that so soon as opportunity presented, the Common Council reorganized that Board, of which the Recorder has been a member for more than thirty years ; and concluded in future to conduct their business without your honor's assistance. If this measure had been taken as early as the first of July, you would have been saved some mortification, and the public much useless expenditure ; for it is a remarkable feature in your character, that your liberality in appropriating the public money, is in proportion to your prudence in economizing your own. The people, there- fore, may congratulate themselves on the event, although it ha*