Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-11-19

that way. /, however, observed 70 him. that
had seen this fewer on ship-hoari, where every
person, without exception, had sickeped of this
malady, and sometimes ali the officers and sea-
meu sickenetl nearly at the same time bat that
believed the causes of II TO have originated
partly from the cargo ON board, and the con-
current circumstances OF i viti@tcd state O. the
atmosphere. Two Instances of this dcscr;pti-
ON mentioned, rs having occurred ~ me two
months ago, on board t..O vessels one an A.
raerican, aud the other an English vessel from
the Rrazils, with carcoes OF tasaio, or erked
beef, wheIe;.Il hands sickseaca ct this err the
commanders excepted, in fen DAYS after the
patches OF the vessels were taken on; Il partof
the sick were removed TO sick lodgings on
shore, but that neither the n1rses or the visit
oTs were subsequently attacked with this tsver
IA consequence; that heard OF some persons,
however, VINO were IN the habit OF going on
board these jerked-beei vessels, aad | verify
believe sickened mconsequence. turtherob-
served 70 the doctor, that under certain Cir
cunstances OF uncleanlincss, when person is
labOrlDg uEdert this disease, such as negecting
20 iemoye the focal and oiherd discharges fron
tic apartments OF the sick, as soon rs dischar-
gcd IL neglecting To change the body and bed
linen often in consequence ofkeepng the pa
tient in confined, damp room, neglecting ven
eiation and iumigation, aud III neglecting 10
keep tho person OF tue sick cieanly, might
cause this fever in persons uninured to a tropi-
cal climate, and thus prediSposed; more parti-
crlarly, il they visited the apartments OF the
sick with an empty stomach.
labserved also, that had seen people who
had sickened of this disorder, and bellcVelittO
have been occasioned entirely BY oNer-iat;gue
III walking III the hot sun; aud others from the
lmpure state OF theatmosphere ut certain sea-
sons OF the wear i'll and about this city. More
over, that had found many OF those persons,
who were the most remarkable for temperance
in their diet, both iii eating ana drinking, 10 De
equaiyi- nc- more susceptible or this fever,
than those persons who drink their wine, bran
dy and water, and otherwise live rs freely. Dat
rfsNf stn.a,r
thern climates: and that there were many 9TH
er causes OF d minor consideration, that preds-
posed strangers TO sicken of this fever.
The doctor seemed To be OF opinion, that the
ycliow-tever had been contagious III some
parts OF Europe, Africa, and ASIA, as some 9TH
or Ina.Sdies Acknowledged by ali the fac lity 10
&c really contagious; but he believed 1t to be
otherwise III other parts. He observed that
IN regard to this subject, before he Left the
City OF Havanna to be satisfied on these
points.
Accordingly, enthusiastic in bis cause, he
commences his experiments by visiting all the
dirty, filthy parts OF the City and It's suburbs in
the heat OF a vertical Sun, when the tlermom-
eter was ranging in the day from 81 10 80 de-
Srees, Fahrenheit (never below 81 atDlgbp and
about the time tAeloctorarrived, we had consi-
derable falls of ~ for several days success
sigely, which afforded him abundant sources i'll
speculation III various parts of the city, from
the 10th to the DIST September particularly; as
this time, and remarkably hot, as was observed
By every body.
Inhs peranbulatcns about the city in this
vertical SUM- IN one of which 4 walked witt him,
he could not possibly walk tenrods, without OBJ.
serving the excessive neglect Of the police of
the city, i'll their want OF executing the police
lawsia regard to cleanness whichiaws, we are
Informed, are very good, ifproperly executed
The streetsin the South end the city, more
particularly, are not paved and are full deep
rats and aOllOws, where the water remains stag
nant until evaporatcd by solarrays, IL into these
ruts and hollows (Which is frequently up to a
horses belly in passing through them) the pots
de ckaDsbre, and filth of the kitchen are deposit
ed, as well as dead dogs and other domestic an
imals. | have seen large dead dogs remain III
one of these puddles swelled up until he burst
ed, and there consumed, contam,natingthes sur
rounding atmosphere for many rods. But this
putrid effiuvia was perfectly indifferent TO
the surrounding inhabitants, they being the
poorer and lower order cfSpaniards, and con-
sequentiy too INDECENT TO remove the causes of
it. Aitcra few Sun-shiny days, yeliowsh
greenish scum rises OF the surface of these pu-
trld puddles, which arc covered with ferment-
ed ar bubbles; from which exhalat;cns inc0n-
ceivaoly obnoxious arise, capable of inverting
the stomach ofauew- conner merely by looking at
Various other local causes, as much or more
in point, could be adduced To subStantiate the
local origin OF the yellow-fever in this City
Captain Wheeler, of the brig Sea-lsland, of
ger, informed ne, that the doctor on his pas
sage out, was remarkably temperate both in
eating ana drinking that he lived principally
on soups, vegetables, bread and wine and water,
and brandy and wafer, and scarcely ever tast-
eft meats of any kinds. He followed up the
same course Cfliving after he came on shore
here, Is his friend Don Jose Casimaro Gonzalez
informed me. 1t twas with this worthy gentle
man DIR. Nalli lived while III this city. Even IL
the doctor undertook 20 eat fresh iish, OF which
tins market has an abundant supply, ard SEINE
OF them very delicious, he swallowed the Juice
ONLY, an. then spit ont thetiSh. In consequence
OF this spare mode of!iving, the doctor was IL
tcraliy walking skeleton.
The iasteXperlment the dOctortried on him
self Will surprise you more than any thing else |
Laying aside the other exciting causes he was |
daily practising on himself, with the view TO |
render himself the more susceptible OF taking |
the yellow fever, OH the 2iSt September, II DAYS
after his arrival in tie harbor, and - DAYS al !
ter his landing III the city (Ic being obliged to
perform some port regulations customary for |
strangers who arrive here,) the doctor visited |
the ST. JOh1 Dieu, hospital for the male |
poor of the city and Spanish q foreign seamen; |
and he was TO have been accompanied by DR.. |
Valle,a the proto medicato, and Dr. Thomas fo- |
mel, two eminent physicians of this city but |
from d multiplicity OF business these two gen |
tleInen did not meet Dr. Nall at the hospital |
as appointed DIR. v. however went through !
the different apartments of the hospital, exanI-
ming the various cases in il, but making more ]
particular enquiries after yellow fever patients.
FINDING out that some foreign sailors were re-
gently dead of this Dlalddy, and were then law |
lus IN the dead room, ne requested permission |
to see them, which was complied with. Whenhe |
-cturnedto Don Gonzales with whom, as be-
fore observed, the doctor lOdgcd,) ne related |
Toe following experiment he tried on himself. |