Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1825-04-26

70 originate, or TO rage more severely in
houses surrounding church yards, in the
middle OF large towns, though the stencil
OF The putrid bodies, oserheaped in such
receptacles, is often insuferably offen-
sive." Mr.. Howard was informed by
the Governor of the French Hospital in
Smyrna " that in The last dreadful plague
there, his house was rendered almost in
tolerable by an offensive scent especial
it he opened any of those windows which
looked towards the great burying place,
where numbers every day were left un-
buried j but that ii had no eHec, upon
the health either upon himself or his ia.
mily." The same remark was made by
others. Ii has also been observed that
not uEsrequenty lie most offensive quar-
Jers OF a city are the healthiest.
That vegetable pu,reiaction does no
necessarily and ai7oays produce disease,
may also be confidently affirmed. DR..
John Stewart, of Grenada, remarks " that
vegetable matter in state Of corruption
IS, on many occasions harmless, is evil
dent from The very offensive heaps of cot
ton seed, and the pulpy covering of the
coffee berry, which are daily to be met
with in Demerara without being con.
sldered a cause OF fever; nor should it
De omitted that when fever does prevail,
II is at season when these causes do not
act powerfully" We have before OBJ
served that the pulrefaclion Of vegetable
matter is the principal process of agri-
culture for fertilizng the soil; and the
barn yards OF the farmer generally con-
tain IN small space nearly The whole
vegetable products OF farm undergoing
this species of decomposition. But al
though these termeniing masses have in
highly concentrated state the reputed
causes OF miasmalic exhalation, they have
never been looked TO as the or gin Of
lever Do not these facts at leas, prove
hat III is by no means certain that this
exhalstion arises oiz0ays and necessarily
from the putreiaciion of animal aud We
geIable substances 7"
trust that these preparatory observa-
ions will be considered neither tedious
nor irrelevant, if they tend to correct
some very prevalent popular positions,
which, as deductions, are erroneous, aud
as triachle8, are injurious TO the charac-
,er aud health Of the state. Thus, /" the
great fertility ct the soil," "lhe grea,
iuSutia"te OF lis vegeiaiion," and " de
consequent great putrolaciion 81 its sur
ace" are confidently assumed as, BY
themselves, sufficient 10 account for the
generation OF mIas,na; and hence the
ceiling OF It's trees, and lhe ploughing Of
lis surface are considered as modes of
adding deletorious agent 70 our Hi
nolsan atmosphere. SO ar, however, are
these opinions trom the truth, that the
circ ums ances which Illinois itself pre-
sens may be appealed TO as furnishing
The strongest, most striking, and mosl
decisive evidence against the popular
doctrine. Illinois fro6a6iy ofor9s much
less dead rcSeta6fe natter for puTRE
FACTION than any other fahu5ited couu.
Try "lth the same amount OF veg o,a,ion
add suriace) in The 4o0rtd since at 1eust
NINE TENNIS d ALL lis dead vegetable
mater IS ANHUALLY destroyed by FIRE
Furher, the world may be challenged
to exhibit OF the same extcu; oI surface
as vast an amount Of heaHhU Mrpriant
LIVING Uesetatidn, as is shown BY Hi.
nois during the pery season 7yhen MAS
matte diaea8es most Extensively hreUaH.
SO striking indeed are these two great
iacts taken in conaexion, that Illinois
might be cited to prove that miasma is
The product OF LIVING rather than dead
vegetable mater.
In my next communication shall en-
deavor 10 show that the popular ideas
relative to the DIFFUSION Of masma are
as vague, ard erroneous, and injurious
as chose relating TO is generation.
MEDiCUS.