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Show ACCLIJI{ATTON; OR, TJTE INFLUENCE OF Tho fact is so glaring, and so universally admitted, that I am r ally at a loAs how to s lcct vid nco to show that thoro is no acclimation againRt tho onclomic iovors of our rural districts. Is it not tho constant theme of tho population of tho South, how they can pr servo health? an<l do 110t all prudent p rsons, who can aflord to do so, remove iu tho summer to some salubrious locnlity, in tho pine-lands or tho mountains? Those of tho tenth generation are just as soli 'itous on the su bjoct as th so of th :first. Books written at the North tulk mu ·lt about acclimation at tho outh; but wo here n ver hoar it allndctl to out of the yellow-fever cities. n the contrary, wo know that those who live from generation to ooonoration in malarial districts h como thoroughly poisoned, and exhibit the thousand Protean forms of disease which spring from this insidious poison. I have boon tho examining physician to several lifo-insurance companies for many years, and one of the questions How asked in mnuy of tho policies is, "Is tlte pm·ty acclimated?" If tho subject lives in ono of ur south rn seaports, whero yellow~ vor prevails, and has been bom and rear d thoro, or has had an attack of yellow fever, I answer, "Yes." If, on tho other hand, he liv s in tho country, I answer, "No;" bccau c thoro is no acclimation against intermittent and bilious feve1·, and otlte1· ma1·sh diseases. Now, I ask if there is an cxpot·i nccd and observing physician at the outh who will. answer dift(wcntly? An attack of yellow fever docs not peotect against marsh fevers, nor t•ice ve1·sa. Tho acclimation of n gr·ocs, oven, according to my observation, has been put in too sLrong a light. B iw,. oriooinally natives of bot climates, they r qnirc no acclimation to temperature, arc leas liable to the more inflammatory forms of malarial fevers, and anflor infinitely less than whit •s from y llow fever: they never, however, as far as my obA rvation extend , become proof aooainst intcrrnittonta and their scqu lro. Tho cotton planters thronghout the outlt will bear witness, that, wh •rover tho whites arc attacked with inLcrmittcnts, the blacks aro a1Ro susceptible, though not in so great a d oor·oo. My obsoevn.tiona apply to tho region of connLI'y r mov d ft·om th? ric count!Y· We shall soc, further on, that the n groca of the rtcc-fi ld rcgJOn do und rgo a higher degree of acclimation t~an t~10sc of. tho hilly lands of the interior. I know many plantat~ on~ m tho Jntorior of Alabama, South aroliua, Georgia, Miaaiastppt, and Louisiana, on which nogt·o s of tho second anu third generation ontinuc to sufror from these malarial diseases, and whore gangs of negro s do not incr use. Dr. Samuel Forry, in his valuable work on tho climate of the CLBfATE AND DISJ<~ASES ON l\fAN. 377 United States, has investigated fully the influ nco of our southern climat a on our p pulation, and uses tho following decided language in relation to Lh whites: "Jn those loc11litios, 118 is often observed in the tido-w11tor region of our Southern Str1toe, tho humrm fr·11mo is worLkly constituted, or imperfectly dovolopcd: tho mor·t11lity 11mong chilc.lren ia very gro11t, 1111d tho moan dm·11tion of lifo is cornprLmtivoly shor·t. Alo11g tho frontiers of Floridr~ 11nd tho southern bonlot·s of OcOt·gill, IIH witnessed by tho nuthor, ns woll us in tlro low l11nds of tho Southern St11tos gonct·lllly, mny bo soon doplorublo cxrunploH of tho physic11l, rurd porhups mont11l, dotol'iomtion i11ducou by endemic influonco~. In e11rlicst inftwcy, tho cotnploxion becomes ~nil ow, 11nu tho eye ussuruos u bilious tir1t: 11dvnncing townrds tho yo11rs of m11tul'ity, tho gr·owth is t\rrcsteu, tho limbs become attenuated, tho viscorn engorged, &o."-P. 805. But, leaving our own conntl'y, let us look abroad and sco what tho history of other nations toac:hct:~. 'l'ho best-authenticated cxarnplca, perhaps, anywhere to bo found on record, of tho enduring iuflucnc of marsh malaria on a race, arc in th Campagna, Marcmma, Pontinca, aud other insalubrious localitic& in classic Italy. Tho following account is given by Dr. JamoH Johnson, in his work on Gltange of Ai1·; aud cvory tl'avcllcr through Italy can vouch ior its fidelity : " [t is from t11o mount11in of Vitorbo that we h11ve tho first glimpse of tl1o wido-spronrl C'ampag11c1 di Roma. 'l'ho be11utiful littlo l11ko of Vico lios unc.lor our foot, its sloping b11nks cultiv11t0d like 11 g11rclon, but destitute of lmbitntions, on !Iecount of tho dcmlly m11hwia, which no culture crm twnihilnto. From this spot, till wo ronch tho desert, tho fo11tur·os of povot·ty 11m! wrotchodncss in tho inh11bitrwts thomsolvos, liS woll ns in cvcrytlling 11round thorn, grow r11pic.lly more mm·kod. We dcsoolld from Monti Uoso upon tho Camp11gnn, nnd, ut Do,oc!lno, we ~~t·e in tJro midst of it." After d cribi.ng the beauty of tho scenery, and its luxuriant veoootation, ho continues: "l3ut no bum11u form moots tho eye, except the gaunt flgut·o of tltc hordsm11n, mufficd up to tho chin in his d11rk tn1111tle, with hi~ gun nnc.l his sporw; bis bt·~rLtl hnt sloucl a o~ over tho ferocious and scowli11g counten11nco of 11 briganc.l: tho bnffalo wlnch he gu11rds rs loss rcpugrliLnt th11n ho. As for tho shepherd, Arcadin for·bid thnt ~should 11ttompt his dos~ri~tion! 'l'ho anv11gc of tho wigw11m h11s hc11Hh to rcoomrno11d hrm. As we 11p~ro11oh wrthm ten miles of Rome, some specks of cultivlltion 11ppcnr, 11nd with them tho dn·o effects of mr11awi11 on tho hum11n fr11mo. JJ!ontod bellies, distot·tod fo11turos, dnrk yellow oomploxions, livitl cyos nud lips; in shod, nll tho symptoms of dr·opsy, j11uu(lioc, a11d ague, united in their persons. l'lmt this deleterious miasm11 did oxist in tho !l~npngnrL fro:~ tho voq first foundntion of Rome down to tho present moment, there 01111 be ltttlo doubt. lie then ooocs on to prove tho fact, from tho writings of Cicero, Livy, and othcl'S; and makes it cloar Lha~ tlJO. population of Italy arc no ncar t• being. acclimated against tlus polson, than they wore two thousand y ars ago. Sir James Johnson makes the following just remarks, which apply equally to tho malarious districts of our country: |
