The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1848-06-28

malarious diseases are rare. IL sufficient 10
overlurn this hypothesis. Prof Daniel Of
Kings College. London, was led into u
similar error by detecting the same agent
in specimen Of the waters Of the river
Niger, sent him for analysis, but subse.
quen, analyses Of the waters Of that River
having failed to detect any such principle,
it is rendered highly probable that The
Sulphuretied Hydrogen was generated by
the decomposition Of The water during its
passage from Africa to England.
These experiments do not disprove the
i existence Of the maArious poison. they
merely demonstrate the insufliciency u
the ordinary chemical reagents for the de.
lection Of SO subtle principle.
Many aud various have been the specu
lo,ions Of the learned, with regard TO the
nature Of the principle in question; by some
it is considered TO be putIid vegetable mat.
ter in u state Of minute subdivision, others
have conceived it to he Azote others Car.
bonic Acid. but Of lis real nature nothing
is known, it is not cognisaLle b, the senses,
by It's effects only ore We made sensible Of
lis presence and dlreiul potency,
The question Of the origin Of Malaria,
though from the earliest records of medI
cine, the subject Of investigation and the
theme for many ingenious hypo,heses, Is
yet involved in much obscurliy. For sew.
eral hundred yeais j, has been ascfibed
TO the decomposition Of vegetable sub
stances, under the hvoIing circumstances
Of heat and moisture. That this opinion
has been received aud handed down from
writer to writer upon The dicta Of authority
without suiiicieu, examination there can be
no doubt, aud that IT Is far from explain.
ing many of The phenomena connected
with the subject, We shall proceed 10 show.
IL the Influence Of heat and moisture
upon vegetable matter IN q state Of decom.
position were alone capable 81 producing
Malaria, We should be bound TO infer il,
existence wherever these circumstances
are found aud indeed as we know that like
causes always produce like effects, ii would
be impossible to deny The fac, Of lis exist.
ence, under such circumstances, but 80 Gar 1
is this from being the case, many ex.
tcnsi,e districts, producing annually The .
creates, proiusion OF vegetation which
must be subjec, TO decay under the very
supposed, are entirely ex.
emp, from those diseases usually consid
cred malarious. while others by no means
remarkable for proiuse vegetation or high
summer heats, are never known to escape
for u single season lis devastating lnilu
nncc. Such is the MaIemna district ~
lioly, Il tract Of elevated Country, thirty or
forty miles IN width, and extending from
Leghorn 10 Terracina, IN which the exisl.
,nce Of marshes or low moist soils is
if al oil observed, and yet this
very district, which a priori We should be
ed TO pronounce one Of the most healthy /
IS annually visited by the mos, destructive
remitteni and intermittent ie,ers.
Again, Spain, OF oil the countries Of Eu. .
rope Is one oil the scvcrcHt sufferers from
eademic fe,ers. And yet DR.. Furguson
observes, (Phiiad'a. Jour. Med. s. Phys.
Sci al that IN the most unhealthy parts Of
Spain we NAV 10 vain-to@aids the close
o, summer for lakes, marshes, ditch .
&c, pools or even vege,a,,onr and Doctor
Brown, (Cycl. ptsc,. med. IN even s'fon' /
ger language bears testimony to the same
fact, Spain he says" generally speak.
ing, though as prolific OF fever us Wal.
cheren, Is beyond all doubt ono OF the dri.
es, countries of Europe, and /, is not till II
has again been made one Of the ~e,lest by
the periodical rains. aud is vegetation aud
aquatic weeds restored, tina, II can be call.
ed healthy or even habi,ablc with any de-
gree Of safety
In many parts Of ireland and Scotland
The surface of large tracts IS OF that low
mafshy character which constitutes The
pea, boys vi those countries. These IN
sumner give rise 10 most froiuse 'ege'
,a,ion which mus, periodically undergo the
process of decay, and lha, too under an at
mospheric temperature sufficiently eleva.
ted To produce malaria as IS shown by The
prevalence Of malarious diseases on the
neichboring coasts Of England, and yet IN
these situations the peculiar effects OF NAL
aria arc rarely It ever observed.
The mountain regions Of our own coun
try furnish strong argument against ih'
,p,n,on that malaria arlses wholly from
vegetable puoefaclion. Large tracts
country are there covered by the usna
| Corrs, etow,hs, which annually cast iheI
leaves, forming layer upon the surlac
several inches IN depth, which must spec
> div undergo the process OF decompos'i'ou
A Iarpe portion Of this !. also washed dow
e by the heavy and continued rams, and 'ode
ed in the beds Of the streams whenever
obstruction TO lis passage occurs In
beds Of mill ponds are particularly hab
n TO become covered 10 considerable dept
!. with this decaying vegetable matter ar
We, IN these regions malar'ous diseases al
Amos, unknown. The writer ~ cross'r
the Blue Ridge in Western North Caro-
ma. stopped for the night with an old mi
who had been resident of iha, section
# the country FOR nearly half cfn'ur
t.s