Indigenous Races of the Earth

XGN23N881857 202

374 ACCLIMA'l'IONj OR, THE INI''LUENCE OF strength of tho nrmy. So injurious, howovm·, is Bongnl proper to this class of nativ.es.' in compari~on with the upp r provinces, that, nlthough only one-fourth of tho t.roops c~hJb1tcd arc Rtationed in JJengal, the deaths of that fourth arc more than a moiety of the whole mortality reported." Now, according to this statement, the native troops in the interior show a degree of LealLhfulnoss (1 death in 131) unlcnown to any troops in .Europe,· and oven in Bon gal, tho mortality, as stated above, would only be about 16 to tho 1000, or about 1 in 60 I ! ! Tho most minute and reliable statistics we possess, touching the influence of tropical climates on the European races, are drawn from the reports of tho ritish army surgeons, which give a truly melan­choly picture of the sacrifico of human life. We shall usc freely one of these reports, made by Major Tulloch, in 1840-an abstract of which may be found in tho April No. of the Medico-Ohirurgical Review of that year. This r port includes the stations of Western Africa, St. liclona, tho 'ape of Good liopo, and tho Mauritius. Tho following statement refers to Sierra Leone: "From a table furnished by Major 'l'ulloch, it ltppears that, during so long a period IL8 eighteen ycarA, tho admissions have averaged 2078, o.nd the deaths 483 per thousand of the strength; in other words, every soldier was tln·icc undor medical treatment, and nearly half the force perished annually: indeed, in 1825, nnd again in 1826, when the mortality was 1tt its height, thrcc-fout·ths of tho force was cut off. Yet this estimate excludes ncoi­dcnts, violence, &o. "A considerable portion of the deaths in 1825-6 took place at the Gambia, which proved tho grave of almost every Europc1m sent thoro. lind the mortttlity of cnch station been kept distinct, thnt of the European troops at iona Leone would not probably lu1vc cxcccdcd 860 per thousand, or ruther more than a third of tho ganison, annually. "However much tho vice and intcmpemnoc, not only of' tho troopA, but the othor classes of white population, may hr1vc aggravated tho mortality, a more regulated life and purer morals brought no so.foty to them. For, among the Mi ~s iono.1·ics, we find that: Of 89 who arrived between Ml\rch, 1804, and August, 1825, all men in the p1·imc of life, the1·o died . ... .... ... .. ...... .. .... ......... .. .... ......... ......... .... .. ... .. .. .. 64 Returned to England, in bad health..................... ......... ......... ......... ......... 14 good hoalth....... ... ...... ...... ...... ... ...... ...... ...... ...... 7 Remained on the coast. ........................................................................ 14 Total. .................................................. 89" Dnri.ng the year 1825, about 300 white troops were landed at different times, and in detachments: nca~·ly ovory one eli d, or was shattered in constitution; a11d, what i.s romarlmblo, "JJuring the whole of tltis dreadful mortality, a detachment of from 40 to 50 blaclc soldiers of the 2d West-India Regiment only lost one man, and had seldom any in tlte hospital." Those black soldi.ors, too, had been born and brought up in the West Indios; and, ac ording to the commonly receivc<l theory of ac limation, should not have njoyo<l this exemp­tion. No length of residence acclimates tho whites in Afl'ica; on CLIMATE AND DISEASES ON ~{AN. the contrary, it exterminates thorn. The history of the whole coast is the sam . Tho Mt0ol''s report goes on to speak of tho black troops, r cruitccl from among tho negroes captured from slavers, and libcl'atcd at Sierra Leone. It is remarkable that Ll1csc black troops, rccrnitcd from native Africans, give a mortality, during eighteen years, of an average of 30 per 1000-twice as high as the mortality of othet· troops serving in their native country. This rato of mQAtality is about the same as that of the blacl troops in Jamaica and Hondu­ras. * * * It is not, however, j1·om fever (tlte disease of tlte climate) that tlte blaclc soldier suffers. From tltis the attacks have been fewer, and tlte deaths ltave not mate1·ially exceeded tlte propo1·tion among an equal number of white troops in the United J(ingdom, M' other tempe­rate climates. The black t?·oops suffer mud more f1·om fever in the West Indies. Small-pox lcilled many, d1·acunculus, &c. The Capo Colony possesses a milder climate, is free from malarial influences; and tho troops, both white and native, onjoy remarkable exemption from disease and mortality. Fevers arc rare and mild. Tho IIott ntots, like oihct· black races, show a strong tendency to phthisis-far gr atcr than the white troops. The Mauritius, though in the same latitnd as Jamaica, is more temperate, and far more salubrious. The 'British troops arc as exempt from disease hero as in Great 'Britain. This island has a population of about 00,000, two-thi1·ds of whom aro colot·cd; and while tllo white population arc romat·kably healthy, both military and civil, the n gl'Oos die in as groat a proportion as in tho West Indies, says MaJot· Tulloch. A prolonged r iden co hero, from heat of the climate, is unfavorable to longevity of whites. Seychelle&.-" A group of small islnnds, in the Indian Ocean, between 4° 1\nd 6° south latitude. They o.rc fifteen in number; but the principr1l one, nnmed Mr~hc, in which a detachment of lll'itish troops is stationed, is sixteon miles long, nrHl from three to four broad, with a steep, rugged, granite mountain intersecti ng it longituuin•tlly. 'l'hc soil of Mahc is pl'iuoipnlly a reddish chty, mixed with snnd ; nnd is watered by nn abundance of small rivulets. The we r~thet· in these islands is described as being clear, dry, and extremely agrcortblo. '!'here is little difference in the seaso ns, cxcopt during November·, December, and Jr1nuo.ry, when much rain fnll s, with oconsional light sq ualls. l'hc equality of the tempcmturc may be inferred, when we state tlmt the maximum of tcmpcratnrc throughout tho ytar wns 88°, ttnd the minimum 73°. Wo cnnnot, tbcr~fo ro, bo surprised when we a.ro told thnt tho total popuhtt.ion of the principal islnntiA in tire group amounted, in 1826, to 582 whites, 3211 fr·cc people of color, nnd 0068.slavcs- all of whom nro snid to enjoy rcmarlmbly good health, and un exemption from the Jr~nguor nnd debility so much cxpcri­ancod in othct· tropio11l climates. Extreme lon gevity is vor·y common: anll o.ffution! of th~ lungs al111ost t!te only djuttu, of a atrjous character, to which tl1c itrhabitanl& are &ubfecl." The Briti h troops proved very sickly here; but Major Tulloch attributes this to bad diet and intemperance.