The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1849-05-17

py's theory be correct, and have no doub,
Of it, rs oxygen aud electricity are iden.i.
cal, or different notifications of tho same
thing, il follows Of course, ,ha, the equilib-
rum is not disturbed by an excess Of either
Of these two gases, therefore, it must be
carbonic gae, or some other substance float
ing in the atmosphere, that is not properly
a component part thereof, | think il can.
be carbure.sed hydrogen gas, for that would
dispose " 10 fever and ague, but to de-
icrmine whether il is some foreign sub.
stance or carbon, we must examine the his.
tory Of tho disease and its effects upon tho
subjects il attacks, which ! think will dem.
onstrato clearly that human superstition
gave rise 10 the disease, and that carbonic
acid gas is it, base. Its history informs us,
that il has been discasc oil India for ages
TINT il made its appearance first on an is
land, located nj or nenr the mouth of the
Ganges, from whence it spreads abroad, do.
ing its work of destruction, then snbsiding
to rc.nppenr at its old starting point in
some future day. Now, if this be fact
land we have as much reason To believe j,
- we have any other modern record,) then
the whole matter il very ensily explained
Ii is well known that carbon enters very
largely Into the composition Of all animal.
NJ we'll NJ vegetable and mineral substan.
ces. The oil Of animals, as well as the oil
of vegetables, is composed nearly all ol
carbon. Olive oil contains seventy mine
parts in the hundred Of pure carbon, and
mary other oils much lnrger portion
These facts being taken in connection with
the fact that, the llindoos throw ,housnn ds
Of human beings into the Ganges, and that
they font down and lodge on the Island, n.
the mouth Of that river, gives us, think a
true clue to the cause of the disease. These
beings lying purifying round the shores
Of that Island, must Of necessity disengage
a very large portion Of carbon, which by
uniting with the oxygen within its reach,
forms carbonic acid Gas; for il is we'll known,
TINT carbon has tho property ofdc-oxydizing
even the oxides Of metals, and other CON-
hus.iblc substances, and at uniting with
their oxygen to form carbonic ncid gas,
when the proportion Of the disengagcd car.
bon amounts to more than one per cent
The history further showcth, that whether
it be carbon or some other substance tina,
constitutes the bnse Of this disease, il is o
a heavy nature, for il always RACES with the
greatest violence, in low marshv situations,
along the margin &c rivers, &c. Persons
living in cellnrs, or the lower stories 81
their houses, nrc more subject to il thnr
those who live in garrets or The higher s.o
ries in their buildings; this is more ohserva
hle among femalcs--thc males being more
likely 10 conirnct the disense in their shops
In the fall of'32, spent severn! days in
Buffalo, n. T., nj the time the disease was
al its worst. aud had m opportunity Of wit.
Messing its operations, in all its various sta
ges There | embraced the views | now
entertain rs TO its nature. and have practi.
ced in accordance with those views eve,
since, with almost uniform success--hav
ing only lost one patient in near one hun
drcd.
The first thing that attracted my attcn.
tion, was the great difficulty experienced
in breathing. ] found il almost rs difficult
to breathe in the open street. MS though
had been shut up 10 room charged with
gns from burning charcoal. This was more
particularly the case ia the lower part ol
the city while one mile back from the city
the mir was as good n j, is here now. Il
appeared that every thing that bad liCe was
attacked, from the common house nv, e
the animals in the street. The birds thai
were uncsged, all left the city, and those
tina. were cngcd all died, rs was informed
unless j, was those that were kept in the
upper stories Of their highest buildings.
will now close nv remarks on the history
of the disease, and cite your attention Ia
it, effects.
This discasc is distinct from Nil others
and, rs observed before, is diame,ricnll,
The opposite Of bilious fever. The one il
an unnatural degree Of heat and is produ.
ced, most likely, by IN unhealthy combina.
ton Of hydrogen and oxygen, which. when
combined 10 certain proportions, will pro-
ducc most intense hen., whereas tho chol.
era is attended with most rapid diminu.
tien If the animal heni from the commence.
ment 10 its termination demonstrating the
deoxidizcment of the blood, not only ii the
blood. but Of every part Of the animal sys-
tenn, Tor even the homes Of cholera subject
are partially decomposed; they are more
soft and porous than tho bones of persons
dying with other diseases. Bilious fever
is always attended with surplus Of alka.
line matter, difiused throughout the system.
whereas in the cholera there 10 but little or
no alkaline matter found in the system;
neither in the stools, blood, liver, nor any
where else.
On tho first appearance Of the disease in
this country, the physicians discovered the
deficiency Of this matter in the stools, and
resor'sd to whipping up the liver, with cal.