The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1854-11-18
Why EPIDEMICs RAGE AT NIGnr-It was in


of the plague in London. 1t was by night that
the army of Sennacherib was destroyed. Both
in England and on the Continent a large por
ton of cholera cases in several forms have been
observed to have occurred between one and
two o'clock in the morning. The danger Of
exposure to the night air has been a theme of
physicians from time immemorial, but it is re-
markablc that they never yet called in the aid
of chemistry to account for the fact
1t is at night that the stratum of air nearest
the ground must always lie the most charged
with the particles of animaliZed matter given
out from the skin and delcterlons gases. such
as carbOn!c acid gas. the product of respiration
and sulphurctted hydrogen, the product of the
sewers. In the day, gases and various sub
stances of all kinds rise in the air by the rare
fraction OF the heat AT light. when this rare
fraction leaves. they fall by an Increase Ofgrav-
ity. if imperfcctly mixed with the atmosphere:
while the gases evolved during the night, in
stead OF ascending. remain at nearly the same
level. 1t is known that carbonic acid gas. at
low temperature. par,akcs SO nearly OF the ma
ture of fluid, that it may be poured out of one
vessel into another. 1t rises at the tempcra-
ture at which it is eyhaled from the lungs, but
its tendency is towards the floor or tue bed Of
the sleeper in cold and unventilated rooms.
AT Hamburg the alarm of cholera at night in
some parts of the city was SO great that many
iCiusSu w ~ W Dcu, lCSt tAty euOulu Uc ATTAIN
ed unawares in their sleep. Sitting up they
probably kept their stoves or open fires burn
ing for the sake of warmth. and that warmth
gives the expansion to any dcletcrious gases
present. which would best promote their escape
and promote their dilution in the atmosphere.
The means of safety were then unconsciorsly
assured. At Sierra Leone the natives have Il
practice in the sckly season of keeping fires
constantly burning in their huts at night as
signing that the fires keep away the evil spirits
to which. in their ignorance. they attribute the
fever and ague. Lat,erly Europeans have be-
gun TO adopt the same practice and those who
have tried it assert that they have now entire
immunity from the tropical fevers to which they
were formerly subjected.
In the epidemics OF the middle q gcs fires used
to be lighted in the streets for the publication
of the air. and in the plague of London in 1856,
fires in the streets were at one time kept burn
Ing necessarily. till eytnguishcd by violent
storm of rain. Latterly trains of gunpowdcr
have been fired and cannon discharged for the
same object but it is obvious that these meas
ures, although sound in principle. must ncces-
sarily. out oil doors. be on too small scale, as
measured against an ocean of atmospheric air,
TO produce any sensible effect. Within doors
however, the case is different. 1t is quite pos
sible to heat room sufficiently to produce a
rareaction and consequent dilut;on OF any ma
llgnant gases it may contain. and ii is Of course
the air of the room. and that alone, at night,
which comes III contact with the lungs of the
person sleeping Westminster Il, riear.
The CRYSTAL PALiCE CLosED-DREADErI LIT
TING DowN.-lcstcrday was the last day of the
New York Crystal Palace for the Exhibition OF
the Industry OF all Nations. 1t lived Il misera-
bic existence, and died Il lingering death. 1t
was speculation. howevcr,upon which, though
many have lost money. some must have real
lied little. The stock. which, about the time
Of the inauguration. under the auspices OF Pres
idcnt Pierce and half his Cabinet, was inflated
to per cent. had fallen yesterday to l.. be-
ing decline from - per cent. premium to 9si
per cent. discount. An awful fall. Lucky was
he who sold out at high tide.
1t is useless to dwell upon the causes of this
lamentable failure. The establishment was
gotten up In the wrong way at the wrong place.
and too late after the appointed day to succeed
The same building and the same contents, uli-
der other auspices and other arrangements
might have paid handsome dividend. But
after it was condemned by the public. it was
adding insult TO in Jury to call in Barnum to
galvanize it into Joyce IIcth notoriety The
furOre of the Musical Congress lasted for two
or three days. When they stopped blowing
their twelve hundred wind Instruments, the
wind declined instantly into u dead calm.
Barnum gave it up. 1t was another fire ami
hilator. And now there is an end of it. But
its mischievous effects upon the mercantile in
ttrcsts rents. &c, OF this city are not yet over
Who buys the Crystal Palace :-.l: Y. Herald.