Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1850-03-21

OF the following article, which we COW from
the Tribune, aud he assures us that the
statements therein contained are strictly ac-
curate:
To the Editor Of the Tribune:
The writer of the following letter is a
hysician, and well known to me. He has
had professional experience of more than
twenty years. in full practice, in the State
of Maine. His letter will be esteemed by
those who know him, and il may he interest
ing to the readers of the Tribune.
S.R. KIRBY, MD.
762 Broadway, Feb. l6, so.
s SAN FRANCES co, Dec. 90, ls49.
DEAR DR.. KIRBY: Since had the pleas.
IRE of seeing you, have seen the Elephant,
as the phrase goes have travelled over a
good portion Of the Ell Dorado-explored its
mountains, its valleys, its streams and its
diggings, both wet and dry. have been IA
miliar with grizzly bears, and grim Death
have contended, both in hospital and private
practice. with all the forms of disease which,
have been so fatal to the army of gold
ers, and think know California well enough
TO give you rel!able description of lis mines,
Climate and diseases.
u
least desirable place of residence on the globe,
except, perhaps, the Desert o! Sahara. 1t
never rains when rain is desirable. or could
do any good and in summer the heat and
dust are intolerable, while in winter, when
the mildness of the weather would be delight.
| ful, the constant rains render the whole cOun-
try impassable by converting the soil into an
ocean of mud.
| Many blame the climate and consider the
water bad /; hut must say consider the cli-
mate very good one, and the waters of the
Sacramento the purest and sweetest / ever
drank. The diseases endemic here SIM
| liar TO those of onr Western States: such as
| fever aud ague. bilious remitlents, diarrh9as
and dysenieres in the hottest part of sum
mer and auiunn but all Of a mider char
acie1 than the same diseases in our Western
States. BuI since the advent OF the gold
hunters, disease, so far as can learn, here
tolore unknown here. has made it's appear
ance, knowledge and just appreciation of
the nature of which is necessary To the proper
! understandings Of the fatal character other
diseases have assumed here the past season.
| THIS disease is called by the miners land
scurvy, and when fully developed is u terri
bio affair, and although resembling in its
appearance the sea scurvy, or salt disease, is
essentially different both as to its cause and
means of cure.
In order fully 10 explain my views of this
| disease, short physiological dissertation
will be necessary. Modern chemistry teaches
us that animals do not creale for themselves
any new matters, but only assirn'lnte and
| appropriate their own growth and nu;rl-
| Ilun material created aud prepared for their
use by The vegetable Kingdom. Man uvails
/ himself of these nutrilvc matters either pri-
Inarly in the shape OF grams, fruits, roots
&c, or secondarIIy by feeding upon other
animals who have already appropriated to
! themselves the same kind OF substances
| Now all lood is divided into two classes
called respectively respiratory food, or that
which Is consumed by The process OF breath
| ing aud production of animal heat and uu-
! trItive food. or thai which goes 10 build up
the system and supply the waste. The first
class consists oislarch. gum, sugar, vegetable
and animal oils. and the different prepsra-
tons of alcohol The other class is composed
of fihrIne, or the leun part ot meat, the coag-
ulum OF blood, eggs, cheese, or the coagnable
part Of milk the gluien or tough parr of
wheat, beans, and other vegetables Now.
every man must be supplied with due pro-
| portion of these two classes, which propor-
ton varies according o the temperature and
other conditions in which Il man is placed.-
| For instance, the lumhermen oil Name and
Canada live for six moEihs al "A time during
the winter season almost exclusively upon
tai pork, -four and moasses. and IN the
spring come ont perfect specimens of health
and vIsor, while in summer upon the same
diet ia the woods, they are apt soon TO break
down and couie cut looking sckly and erna-
ciated.
A Laplander or Esquimaux will eat and
even require qIIantlIy oi fat that would de-
s;roy all Inliabitant OF tropical or temperate
climates, while the fruits and vegetables OF
| warmer regions would not he sufficient to
support life in high latiiudes.
Now in order TO possess health, we must
attend 10 and conform to the laws of our or
ganza,ion. This the miners aud California
emigrants have not done. Upon their over
land Journeys aud AT the mincs they have al
most entirely lived upon irted bacon or fat
pork and -four made into batler-cakr>, and
fried IN tie fat. which completely sarurates
il, and this is washed down with large q'lan-
titles of brandy or whiskey taken III the in
tervals Of the meals. THIS has been lhe
diet of thousands for months, unde scorch-
ing sun. when the temperature was over a
hundred in the shade, aud at the same time
subjected to most intense labor.
Now from what we have learned of the
requirements of the system. what will result !:
Why, we shall find The muscular system in
a state of starvation from want of supply OF
fibrine in The shape Of lean meat, and OF
complete exhaustion from over -exer,Ion, S Tim
ulated by the love OF gold, strong coffee and
alcohol, and the whole economy poisoned by
being saturated with fat. which was not re-
quircd for the production of animal heat.
The consequence Of this is. that after a
lime the strong man, generally the stron.
g.st, the heariest feeder and best worker in
the company suddenly finds himself desti-
tute of strength, his limbs fail, he has paIp-
tations of the heart on the slightest movement,
hi, limbs contract and troubled with
cramps; his .ace.lips and tongue are bioodess,
his gums swell and Lleed, black Spots show
themselves IN various parts Of the boIy,
| sometimes covering half the surface, and if
no ameioraton takes place, the patient sud-
| denly expires from some slight effort at mo-
ton. This is picture of Il severe case bur
notifications of these symptoms manifest
themselves in large proportion Of the peo-
pie who have come in over the plains or have
spent much time at the mines, aud if they
happen to contract or get a developement Of
any of the endemic diseases of the country,
such as ague. diarrhHa or disentery, from
this broken state Of the system, no vital re-
actions take place. and physicians are as
tonished at the difficulty Of getting a patient
up when once down and dose Of caloruel
or a blue pill have seen many times induce
modification Of the face, and dose ofeas.
tor oil taken for constipat lion nroducox a