New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-22
THE DLSICCATED ENGLISHMAN.
" ,rotiieu wi,iaas in The Genaema,,'s Magazine

" Matieu WilIiaa.S IN The GenHemdn's Magazine
In "a communication to hHOWtedge reprinted III
Science in Short Chapters" page 309) ! NeDtured
to suggest an explanation OF the iank ana shrlV-
eled aspect OF the typical Yankee by describing
him as desccated Enghshman" the deslccatlon
being produced by the dlyneSs of the continental
climate Of America, exaggerated III wlnter-time
by their stove arrangements.
Ina note to this H. A. Proctor added that
in each of his three visits to America he lost about
thirty pounds III weight. which he recovered on
returning home.
Another case has lately come painfully hume to
me. Ny son, acting assistant to Major llerschel
IN his pendulum experiments first at Kew then at
Greenwich and Portland l'lace went on &c wash
ingtOn and continued his duties there. HIS letters
from thus city were eXnDerant With enthusiasm ana
admiration of everything but one of them was
rather alarming 1t recorded the state of his own
pulse beating at 100 ana upward. Although
stubborn total abstainer, he was evidently III
state of abnormal excltement-a sort OF dry-oAygen
lntOXication.
Presently at New York, he became lazed." and
dangerous symptoms OF lnciplent brain lever APP
peaTed, which being observed by Major Herschel,
he was sent home at once During his shOlt alb
sence he had grown thinner ald taller, lank- iawed
and salow, displaying all the characteristic symp-
toms Uf what / cannot refrain from calling acute
AmeriCdRitiS from which, by the natural operation
of his native air and abundant sleep he has recov-
cred far mole RAPIDLY than was anticipated.
All that | can learn indicates that thisls but an
exaggerated typical OF what usually occurs TO
Englishmen, especially % growing youths, when
they cross the Atlantic and proceed inland and
southwark .
before proceeding to the intended Application.
AT one of those delightful Thursday evening
meetings which were held at the house of the late
George COmbe, III Melville-st., Edinburgh, and
named cIrcumtabular teas " by the facetiOus and
brilliant Dr. Samuel Brown, family portraits
were shown and compared. These included photo
graphs oil the descendants of the COmbes who had
enigrated to America n genefatiOn before, and
traits OF come OF the family then living In EdIn-
burgh. Besides these, there was portrait Of Black
Hawk, a red Indian chef
We placed the chief on one side, the Edinburgh
portraits the other and those of the descendants
of the American enigrants between. and all agreed
that the deviatiOns from the original family type
were ia direction toward that of the red Indian.
Mr.. Connie maintained that this is generally the
case and agree with him III regarding the typical
I" native American THAT LIS, the descendant of
early English settlers as displaying physically Il do
not BAY intel sctually and morally notable de-
gree VI TeveTslOn-Ur rather deviation-toward the
aboriginal type display ed IN the best examples of
red Indlans-ie., the old fighting chiefs.
Now what is likely TO follow from all this drying
up of fibre, this development of constitutional in
tensifcation, this general lniammatOry exaltation,
or AmeTicdnihsf
think that il must develop is developing and
has dcvIoped, constitutional chronic disturbances
III some cases an Ountng TO disease blch may lie
curaOie by change climate; the must eiiectual
change being return to that which produced the
old stock.
Ny prophecy then, Is that American ply sicians
will presently discover this, and recommend their
well-tO-uo patents-those who have worked rs
only Americans in the pursuit of wealth do work
TO turn 10 the land of their fathers to breathe the
soothing humdities of It's anodyne atmosphere,
and thereby double the remaining years of their
lives, which believe an CNerwOrked American OF
sixty years OF age may do and when he understands
this subject and has sufficient means WILL do. to