The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1848-07-26
Communication.
FOR The CHARLOTTE JOURNAL.
COMBINATIONS ON THE CAUSE, &C,
OF ENDEMIC FEvERS.
No. III

sVOs D IL
In visiting many sections Of our count
known to be malarlous, one cannot but
struck with the utter disregard OF the pr
sefVhlion OF health, manifested Ia the loo
A non OF The dwellings of The inha bitanis.
would seem that IN the choice Of n loo
/" 'ion, by many, tacit invitation had bee
'" extended to The grim messenger, to Wis
u mem more frequently than he would oil
erwise have done. The lowest part of IN
= iafm-being hat IN which water is gene,
} ally most easily oblained-is that chose
Tor the site OF the farm house. Here
IRON the known tendency Of malaria I
accumulate at The lowest pnins-lhe in
habiian,s must be exposed 10 the poison
ous cmanation 10 its creates, intensity.
In the choice of a residence then, let tn,
following considerations be attended 10:
lsi. Let an elevated spo, be chosen
ny this means We gdin tho advantage of o
Tree circulation Of air, and the consequent
diIo'ion OF the poisonous principle, so that
I, Is b ought 10 act-if at aIl-wilh les.
lnleGsliy.
2. With regard 10 known malar ious
locality, let such a situation be chosen,
that the prevailing winds during the mals.
rious season, may watt the poison rather
from lhan towards II, and
3. II possible, lie, there be some obs,a.
Gle, such as a wood, row Of trees, or range
OF hills, intervening the house aud the
source OF the poison. A proper alten.
Ton 10 these precautions, would, we are
satisfied, save many family from the hor.
rors Of pro.racled diseases aud unlimely
deaths.
For our personal protection against the
poison OF malaria, perhaps no measure Is
ni more Importance than a careful avoid.
ance OF ali exposure to the night air. |,
Is IN the night, as we have before remark.
ed that the poison, which, during the day,
has been rislng with the waiety vapor, be.
comes concentrated near the surface, and
acts 9ith peculiar ,tulenee. So well has
tins fact been Inculcalrd by a sad expert.
ence 10 some oi those districts where ma.
larious diseases present malignant char.
acter, that the inhabitants shut themselves
up at The approach Of night, and only ven.
lure out again when the rays Of the sun
shall have dlssippated the poison. On this
SUBJECT an able writer Of the presen, day re.
marks. " The morning and evening air is
particularly Injurious, so much SO that per.
sons who 20 cut of their houses only during
hs d-.. ai... si.s fna- have dispersed 10 the
morning, and before The de~s descend m
la a. mt IN ulf
was tormefaily The attending physician
> a public institution, containing more
han a hundred inmates; among whom,
Iunng The sickly seasons 10 winch our VI.
unity was subject, nutumuai fever was
'ety prevalent, until the direction was
,i,en aud earned mo effect, not to allow
'ny one TO 20 out before bre ,kfas, or AFTER
ca. The miasmalic efilu,lum appears TO
lse by the heat Of the Gun and TO he so
dispersed as to become lnnoS,ous, but to
iequife dangerous concentration by its
IuIon with the moisture which forms the
morning and evening dews. Exposure
!uring the night IS equally dangerous, and
.pec ally during sleep when the power Of
esisiing noxluus agenls IS diminished J
1t often happens that the poisonous va.
'or or efliu,tum extends only to a short
deviation above the surface, and hence We
an understand how il is that the ground
ioor Of a house may be Infected ahlIe'the
inmates Of the upper stories may altogeih.
'r escape. The following are remarka.
,le illustrations
The wall OF the wilg OF the hospital
1t Padua where clinical watds are situated
) washed BY branch Of the sluggish I
Bfenta and /, has irequen,ly happened I
bat the windows OF these wards which are
ibout sixteen feet above the surface Of the I
water having been carelessly leiI open IN.
III Too late an hour, several Of the patients
have been attacked with Intermittent fe.
vers-ln some Instances OF The pernicious
kind. Tbs has never occurred in the
womcns wards which are Immediately 4
over those OF The men, though there Is no
reason to believe that more care was Ia. I
ken IN shutting the windows OF those apart.
ments than ot the former
1t was also rema ked BY the British I,
medical officer dutIng the expedition in I,
| SOS to Nalchefeu that those who slept IN
the upper stories OF houses, were less liza.
bic 10 endemic disease ard had ii in
mlIder form than those who slept on the
ground Il pors, The testimony oi the ma.
iives was in favor Of the correctness Of
thus observation; and DR., Ferguson, when
one of the principal medical officers of the
British army IN ST. Domingo remarked
that "two.thlrds more men were taken Ill
gu the ground floors, than In the upper s'o.
RES" A knowledge of this fact leaves
no doub, of the propdety of locating the
sleeping apartments above the ground floor
whenever this Is practicable.
Al perturblng causes, particularly such .
as excite undue actions IN the great organs
contained IN the abdominal cavity, create .
a special suso sptlbIily to attacks OF mala.
rious disease and as those diseases gener. /
ally fall with peculiar force upon the sto |
mach and bowels, particular attention