The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1850-08-07
why Epidsmics rage at Might.

1t was one night that 1000 pershed in
the PIague OF London of 1868. 1t was at
night that the army OF Sennacherib was de-
stroyed. Both in England and on the con-
tlhcht large proportion of cholera cases in
It's several forms, have been observed To
nave occurred between one and t,rO oclock K
III the morning. The danger OF exposure
TO the night air. has been n theme of phy.
sIcIans from time immcmorial; but il is re
hiarkhbtc that they have never yet called in
lhe alu q! chemistry To account for the fact
III Us at night that the streams of air near
est the ground mast always be the most
charged with the PARTICLES OF animaliZcd
ilattcr gwen out from the skin and dclctcr-
iois gases, such as carbonic ac ID gas, the
product OF respiration, and suI phurctted nv
urogcn, The product oi the sewers In the
DAY, gases and vaporous substances Of all
KINDS rise IN the air by the rarc!action of
heat; at night when the rarcilct!on leaves
them they TALL by All increase Of gravity. IL
impericctiy mixed with tho atmosphere,
While tho gases evolved during the night
instead oi ascending remain ii nearly the
same level. II is known that carbonic acid
gas at low temperature partakcs so near
ly OF the nature OF a fluid, that il NAV be
poured out o. one vessel into another; i, rises
III the temperature at which it is cyhaled
from the lungs, but It's tendency is towards
the floor, or the bed OF the sleeper, in cold
and unvcntllatcd rooms
At Hamburg, the alarm Of cholera al,
night, IN some parts OF the city was SO great,
that on some occasions many refused TO 20
to bed, lest they should be attacked un-
wares III their sleep. Sitting up they pro-
baby Kept their stoves or open fires burn
inT tor the sake OF warmth aud that warmth
giving the expansion to any dcIctcrious
gases present, which would best promote
their escape, and promote their dilution in
The atmosphere, the means of safety were
thus nnconscIonsly assured. a, Sierra
Leone, The natives have practice, in the
s'ckiy season, OF Keeping tires constantly
burning in their huts a, light, assigning that
the fires keep away the cvi! spirits. to winch
IN their ignorance they attribute the fever
and a@uc. l.al,crly, Europeans have be-
gun To adopt the same practice, and those
that Lave tried il assert that they have en-
t'rc immunity from the tropical icvcrs to
which they were formerly subject
In the epidcmics OF the middle AGES fires
used Ia be lighted in the streets for The M.
r'licatIon Of the air; and IN the plapuc of
London, of 1868, fires in tho streets were
at one time kept burning necessarily, iii
eXtInguishcd by vloicnt storm OF rain.
hatteriy, trans OF gnnpowder have been
hred, and cannon discharged for the
same object; but II is obvious that these
measures, although sound in principle,
mus, necessarily, om ot do0rS, be on too
small scale, as measured against an ocean
oi atmospheric AIR, to produce any sensible
elect. Within doors, however, the case is
different 1T is quite possible to heat a
room 10 produce rareIaction and consc-
qncnt dIIution Of any malignant gases it
may contain and il is Of course he AIR of the
room, and that alone, at night, which comes
INTO immediate contact with tho lungs OF
person sleeping Westminster Rer,e,r.