Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-03-10

majestic Rotunda, which contains the labora,o,,.s
the different lecture rooms. the museum ana 49,
library, and sends out from the floor of its sr,.
did Portico, the flat wooden roofs, which cover n.
Eastern and Western divisions Of the Gymnas,r
The lawn is open to the South, com,nanding.
beautiful and extensive prospect. Behind the.a
ranges on the East and West, lie the Gardens 20
tne Professors, hanging on the slope of The
NIL and divided from those of the Hotel Keeper.
which, with the exception OF narrow enclosurss
Tor toood CARDS, reach to the extreme ranges or
each side. The Eastern and Western ranges cor
sist Of Hotels, linked with dormtories, construct.
ed aud rooied as those above described, and in
front Of each, is a range Of brick columns, ruunina
INTO each other by arches, and surmounted with
hat wooden roofs also continuous with those of n
adjoining doruilories. Detached from the whole
at the North West corner, is the Anatomical The
atre, handsome brick building, commodiouslv ar
ranged containing large we'll ventilated dissect
ing room, lecture room, tor the Professor of Med
iche, and Demonstration Of Anatomy and Surgery
an Anatomical Museum, SC. I have been thus
minute in detailing the particular arrangement "a
the buildings, from desire to afford those, who
nave not examined them Z" in stu, )" an opportun;
ty OF forming opinion on the subject From en-.
above description, it is obvious, that the dormito
ries are at no point accessible to free currents of
dv-d single door, tchich is generally closed, and
sM'se W'ndo'c, form the only points Of approach
'or any breeze that blows.
The irregular masses Of building on the lawn.
the Portcoes IN front, and the brick walls on th,
rearnot only intercept all free currents of air fo
the middle ranges Of dormtories, but effectualIv
cut oil all tree circulation through the windows
Of the lower ranges, all of which, without exccn
uon, lace the lawn. Now, if to these combin.
ed ELECTS OF sueha mass of building so arranged
we add the narrow dimensions of the dorntories.
one OF which generally constitutes at once the stu.
dy the sea-, OF social Intercourse s. the chamber of
two students, we may readily believe Hiat, If MAS
mata are formed, there many circumstances
tending to concentrate their force and increase
their vrulence. Ii may be asked, whence can
masnata arise? answer from the past surface of
no,c decdytng ,cood, equal, upon a rough caicu.
ldtion, to one hundred and fifty thousand square
feet, Which four long lines Of fiat roofs presens
at once to the action of heat and moisture
These mias'nata entanged and confined within
u"equal masses OF building, are precipitated during
the nights, and fall with increased severity on the
tenants OF the low dormitories. Hence it is thar
while the students have been seized with the pre-
vaiing disease, in such rapid succession, the Pro.
lessons and their families, occupying comparative
ly we'll ventilated apartments, and having, be.
leye, without exception, their chambers on the
second floors Of their pavlions, have been almost
enureIy exempt. In single family ONLY amonp
the Professors has the disease appeared, and In
that 1T wes so obviously modified 20 appear al.
most different disease The three Hotel keep
ers too, who with their large families have contin-
ued at their posts,have been favoured in like man.
ner, under the influence Of the same favourable
circumstances. Their Hotels are better situated,
occupying each, an extreme point of the ranges
on the East and West-and two of them hayine
the apartments occupied by the families on the
second floor. very strong fact confirmatory
OF this view of the subject, is, that Of twelve or
more students regularly attending the lectures
from the town and adjacent country not one has
been affected-though several of these are medi-
cal students and frequently engaged in the dis
secting room. IL may be objected, that the same
causes existed heretofore, and should have pro.
duced similar effects. To this, answer that the
r,axa and kt.,N
decomposition Of the wood was not app rent to any
great extent; whereas, at present the exterior CO.
vering OF the roofs yields IL, manu- pldces to d
slight pressure Of the foot. The measles of last
summer and their sequel, which proved fatal In
tfsree Instances and dangerous in many cannot il
is true be traced to this cause; but il il not too
much TO say that their peculiar severity at the
University, was dependent on the confined air of
imperiectly ventilated dormitories, heated TO ex-
cess by the action OF the these fat roofs--
During the last summer young gentleman conn
planning OF the closeness of his apartment request
ed me to apply my hand to the ceiling. found
the heat almost insupportable. That decayed
vegetable matter is frequently cause Of disease,
the highest medical authorities warrants me in
asserting. have examined many in reference TO
the subject, but shall confine myself to citing
few relevant passages from two OF the most
modern and highly approved writcrs-In Doctor
Good very able and truly scientific work entitled
The Study OF Medicine" page As, I'd vol. Sc
cond American edition. find the following pas
sage: lin the decomposition of all organised matter
whether vegetable or animal, when suddenly ef
iected by the aid of heat and moisture an efiluvi-
uIn Is thrown forth that is at all times highly in
furious 10 the health and in a closely concentrat-
ed state fatal to life itself-After dwelling on re
noXious character of The animal miasmata, issuing
from some burial grounds in France, where the
graves are prematurely opened, he continues
" This efiiu~um is from the decomposition Of ami
NAL matter alone, but the foul and sinking har-
matan, when it rushes from the South East upon
the Guinea Coast loaded with vegetable erhGia-
ftons dlOne-triumphs i'm a still more rapid and
wasteful destruction. AT page 81 the Doctor
presents US with the following summary--"Whe,
then, the remote causes Of fever are of different
kinds, its chief and most effective is ,nre miss1p
the origin and laws Of which, so far as we are at
present acquainted with il, may be expressed in
the following coroIlares
list. The decomposition Of dead organised
matter, under the influence of certain agents pro-
duces miasm that proves a common cause OF
fever.
3D. The whole of these agents have not we.
been explored; but far as we are acquainted
with them they seem to be the common auxiiaries
oil putreaction, as warmth, moisture, air, and {.
rest Or stugnotion.
I'd. The nature of the fever depen Re, partly ND.
on the state OF the body at the time Of attack; but
chieby upon some modification in the powers or
qualities OF the febrile miasm by the varying pro-
portions OF these agents in relation 10 each other,
in different places and Seasons" Page I24, after
stating that any of the ordinary causes of fever
may be cause OF Iyphus," and enumeratine the
circumstances most favourable to its generation,
he remarks, =" under these general circumstances
a very fo,o degree Of todrmth and moisture Is
suihcient, though there must be some proportion,
oil both-aud provided there be an adequacy of
warmth, the lower the temperature the more
certainly an individual becomes affected: not from
more abundant generation OF ebre miasm, or