The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1859-03-21

BuaLlscTos, March l. 1859.

At the last annual meeting o. the Iowa
State Medical Society, the undersigned were
appointed committee to report on the To-
biography, Climate, Diseases and Natural
History Of Iowa. The Importance Of re-
port OF this kind will commend itself to you;
and in order to make it as complete as pos
sible, your assistance is requested, by an
early answer to the following:
Describe proximity of your County to riv-
ers and lakes.
Size and direction OF water courses, and OF
the dividing ridges or water sheds. Extent
of river bottom. Power and rapididy OF
streams; danger and frequency Of inunda.
ton. Quantity Of marshy soil. Artificial
water channels and reservoirs, and amount
of ockage on the Des Moines River.
Area and mean altitune of County. Pop
ulation, and their lineage; chief avocations.
Location and size Of principal towns. Gen.
eral character Of the surface, rolling or lev
ell prairie, valleys and eminences. Nature
and extent Of surface-tilled, covered with
forest or prairie. Agricultural products
kinds of timber; effects Of clearing, drain
ing and breaking up of prairie on climate.
Latitude, longitude and altitude OF observ-
er. Barometric, therCmotric and hygromet-
rio states Of the atmosphere for every day of
the year, indicating in columns the amount
in inches Of rain, hail and snow. Describe
tornadoes, and mark their extent on map.
Deaths from fever, from measles, small
pox and varioloid. Deaths from diseases of
the lungs and air passages. Deaths from dis
eases of the nervous system. Deaths from
diseases of the organs of nutrition. Deaths
from diseases of the urino genital organs
Quarterly tables, showing the whole number
OF deaths of white and of colored persons
under year, from to 2, from 2 to S, from
to 10, from 10 to Is, from Is to 20, and
for every decennial period over 20.
Epidemics and endemics of the year their
origin and march; apparently contagious or
net How affected by race, age, sex, temper
ament, avocation, circumfusa, ingesta, and
the density Of the population.
Fevers. Intermittent, remittent and per-
nicious or congestive: their frequency as
compared with that Of former years. Typhus
and typhoid fevers. Small pox. Benefits Of
Vaccination. Measles. Scarlatina.
Observations on other diseases their eti-
ology, pathology and therapeutics. Peculi-
arity of type or tendency; number OF cases,
and a comparison OF it with that Of former
years. In describing cases, give age, sex,
condition and location Of patient, season of
year, treatment and termination. Facts of
interest in surgery and obstetrics.
Geological position, actual location, dip,
direction and extent Of different formations !;
character Of soil, subsoil and subjacent rock.
Source and nature Of water used for domss-
tic purposes supply of water of town, and
kind Of pipe used as conduits. Map with ge-
illogical features named, and colored sgreea-
bly, to the order adopted by the Geologist !;
also mark out on map extent OF epidemics, if
any have prevailed.
Catalogue of fora of country. Catalogue
of plants possessing medicinal and e,onomi-
cal properties. Catalogue Of plants employed
by the Indians. Catalogue Of the animals.
Catalogue of the birds. Catalogue of the
fishes. Catalogue of the insects.
Changes brought about by the settlement
of the country, with reference to the intro
duction and extirpation of plants and ami
mails. Facts in Natural History.
If you cannot answer all, answer as many
as you can; and If you cannot embrace the
county in which you live, answer for your
immediate neighborhood. The oommitte
would also be much obliged for any speci-
men Of Natural History. Answers will be in
time by the 18th Of May.
Respectfully yours,
JOHN II. RAUCH,
M. b. COCHRAN,
q. r. HENRY.
Papers throughout the State are re-
quested to copy the above Circular.