The Shasta courier., 1864-09-17
The Month Malign.
Under this caption. Hall Journal of Health,

Undcr this caption. Halls Journal of Health,
published in New York, thus discourses Of
the peculiarities of the first Fall month in the
eastern States, in a sanitary point of view.
To what extent the remarks are applicable to
this region is matter for scientific obserya-
ton and research to decide
September gives rise to more disease in
town and country together than any other
month of the year. 1t is fruitful in diarrhea,
dysentery, and feyers of every grade, from
| common fever and ague to the most malig-
nant form OF bilious, congestive, and yellow
fever. The immediate causes of these mala-
dies are the hot days and cool nights, in con-
junction with the habits of the people. Few
persons have hearty appetites in hotweather.
Our instincts are too wide awake for that !;
but we too often drown their wise and steady
and gentle monitions in the clamor of the an
imal nature for stimulants to whet up the ap-
petite to hurtful and destructive activities.
The proprietors of the most fashionable ho-
tells in New York have asserted that if it was
not for the profits of the bar, they would
have to close their doors. Doubtless, in al
most all cases. these profits of the bar, are
a very important source of income to all tay-
erns. We have certainly noticed that large
number of temperance hotels succeed in col
lapsing in very short time. When the
stomach is taxed beyond its ability Of work,
| by eating to the I'LL of stimulated appetite,
one perncious result always follows, and a
different one is impossible in any single case
in century of centuries: that food Is not
perfectly ssimilated-cannot be made into
good blood, and that being mixed with what
i- al w int na bo6
of the whole. The entire mass is yitiated
article, and becomes more so by each act of
over eating, by every mouthful swallowed to
get up an appetite The whole mass of
blood being thus corrupted, it is no wonder
that persons living thus are liable to com.
plants in all parts of the body, for this vita
ted blood goes everywhere and never feeling
well, they are always taking something
In this way the body soon loses its vigor,
its capability of resisting causes of disease
and warding off sickness; state of things
| plainly proven and unwittingly acknowledge
ed in the now very common expression, sThe
slightest thing in the world gives me cold.
When such is the case, it is always because
the person SO speaking has not much stamina ;
in other words is full of 5 bad blood, what
ever may have been the cause, whether from
taking tonics, stimulants or bitters, to wake
up an unnatural appetite, or whether from
forcing food; eating without an appetite,
or merely from vicious indulgence of the
animal nature. When persons have for some
time eaten more than the system requires,
they lose their appetite, have bad taste in
the mouth on waking up in the morning, are
more or less uncomfortably chilly, and are
fit subjects for any case of disease which may
exist in the atmosphere; and they are the
very first victims to any epidemic malady; ii
anybody is sick, they are sure to be among
the number. This general cause of disease
existing in the atmosphere is always genera
ted in the latter part of August and during
September it is called miasm-an emana.
ton from decaying vegetable matter, mud,
leaves, plants, roots. etc.; tits distilled death,
literally, because the heat of the noon day
sun, acting upon matters like these, causes
the deleterious agency to rise up, like alcohol
or whisky from a still, when theco of even
ing comes, this air is condensed, becomes hea-
w, falls to the surface and is breathel by
whole communities, sometimes breaking out
in night and destroying hundreds before
morning In such cases the temperate, plain
living and industrious are the very last tc
suffer, if at all, because they they have good
blood which has power to resist disease
fhe lesson is, never attempt to 'whet up the
appetite. except by creditable labor, or mod
crate continuous outdoor activities"