The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1851-03-12
little infected with the delc,erious etilyi.

uHn {EpeTteJ t 5&rwSF #sEt rs"
Here it cannot but be noticed that rar:-
fed air, accordingto a law Of Natural PHI
iosophy will ascend go also Wilt balloon,
according to the same law.
From the in6ueDcc oftle winds and tho
irregular superfices of tho earth, certain
localities, lit cannot be douhted) may no
visited more frequently, than others, witt,
light rariticd air; for Instance; let there be-
kindied a large fire, ina close room; and il
viii be perceived that the rariiei air, pro-
duccd by the fire, will ascend or escape, at
tho top OF tho door of said chamber, whilst
fresh air, fill up tho vacuum in tie clam~
Der, from The bottom of the door thereof,
forming two distinct CURRENTS; the one rush
ing in; the other making its exit; and If a
screen be placed in the way, at the, top of
the door, it will pass over il, and then de-
scend TO the top Of the door, wherever the
orificc is, for its exit. And thus it is ex-
planned, it is hoped how foyer sometimaees,
prevails in elevated situations. But the
observations Of different writer's on the.
subject of r~nalaria, are exceedingly dig
crepcnt one will tell you that It's viru--
lence is enhanced on tho mountain sum-
in regard TO tho theories founded in pre-.
mits, another vice versa. And thus il is ever
sumption. Until something he known of
Iui ~ VIII CoIltl luC 10 DC u JtIU, fIIt
with absurd speculation /; and like The devil.
IN tn old book some give him hnrns,i
some Il tail some Il eleven foot !; but no
one has seen him te te tcic. A long series
Of observations, by different writer's, for
ages. on the phenomena of malaria, howev-
or, with few exceptions, correspond wi,ht
those OF rarlficd air; ut least where we.
substitute the place of malaria with it, the,
phenomena of malarin are explained on ra-.
tionul grounds. m
In regard 10 fever prevailing in any par
ticular locality accurate observation goes IN
show TINT, whenever the atmosphere is
above 80 deg. and remains uninterrupted
by rain or win for the period of n few
weeks, we are liable 10 fever almost any,
where, independent Of any particular 10.
Guilty containing vegetable mn,tcr, or rnois--
ture so long NJ there is solar heat enough,
to rarity the atmosphere.
Another one Of the ~fuvoritc ..habitats'' Of
the poison i'll question, which they do not ac-
count for on rational principles, is that it is
much more dangerous at night. than in the
day tine.
TO sleep at night (they say in tho
open air in such places, is Utmost 10 ensure
M attack OF fever. s.ruke one instance,
(snys Watsnn) rs n sample of many.
1T is recorded by Dr.. Lind in 1iG6. The,
PhcniS Ship Of war was returning from the
coast of Guinea. The officers and Slips'
company were perfectly healthy till they
reached the island OF st. Thomas. Here,
nearly all went on shore. Sixteen of the .
number remained for several nights on the
isinnd. Every one Of those Contracted the.
disorder, and thirteen Of the number died.
The rest Of the crew, consisting of $50 men,
went i'll parties OF twenty or thirty, on shore
in. the day time, and ramt!cd alhut the
island, bunting. shooting, and so on, but re-
turned 10 tho ship atnight, and not one OF.
those, who so returned, suffered the slight.
est indisposi,ion.
They even 20 SO far as to tell us, not
only OF its prediction for nocturnal visits,
but of the very hours OF The night, at which.
it comes. H,w such obscrvntinns can be-
made in s,rictIless and in truth, ere ..:e;-
we'll be at loss to know. With as much,
propriely, the reader might be told that
Beelzebub will, pay him a visit Just after
sunset, or a short time before day break,
or rather about the hour, just ere the grey
cock crows for I is said that Guoines,
Ghosts & all other species ofinfornal s. inyi- Z
siblc spirits are deharrcd from walking forth
abroad after the cock crows f; at least the
poet tells ns that Hamlc,s ghost made his
exit nj ti.at limc.
Professor Dickson observes TINT disease
seldom, perhaps never attacks the huuiDn
system during sleep.
Sleep is sedatiyc in its effects !; it is some
t'mc after waking, ere the accus,omcdy wig
our OF The system, is restored anil il, the
body is more liable to fever during the tirs,
hours of night, and just before dry, it is
owing to hnguur ard exhaustion, nj those
hours indee it is observed by authors
generally on the subject, that those are tho
periods in which fever is most apt 10 at
tack us. But what arc tho evidences Of
malaria having ever made its attacks by
night, more tnan by day2 Is fever itself
not the only evidence? Because sixteen
seamcn qniltcd their slip, and went ashore
on an island slept all night there, in, the
open air, and were seized with fever, must
the conclusion be, that malaria made its
sallics upon them only by eight?
1t may be qnestioned,-sincc it's NOS
Standardization they were attacked at.
night, or otherwise and the only evidence
of any attack, is the fever itself. III
That period Of time, of exposure to the
agent supposed to be the cause of fever, be.
1t malaria or rariied mir, is long or short
one, two or more days, according TO the
degree ofth ratification Of the one. on tho
virulencc Of the other. Now, then, say, il
requires forty-cight hours residence on the.
island Of st. Thomas, above mentioned, 10,
contract fever; the days being twelve hours
long, a couple of nights would necessarily
be included, i'll the forty eight; but, because
;h"se two nights were included, must i, be
that night is more hazardous than day? In
short It rcquircs only n certain length oftime.
to contract fever & during this period Of time
time being equally divided into night and
daylight, necessarily comes in, unless.
like Joshua Of old, some one Of those who be-
licvc that malaria stalks about committing
nocturnal dcpredations, could command tho
sun to stand still. Those Of the ships
company "wlo went in parties Of twenty
or thirty hunting, shooting and so on and
returned to the ships at night, did not suffer
the slightcs, indisposi,ion."
Now twelve hours, it seems. was not long
enough for them TO contract fever; and by
returning to the ship, from amidst the rari.
fled air on the island, their systems had the