Indigenous Races of the Earth

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398 ACCLIMATION; OR, TJIE INFLUENCE OF But it is time to bring this chapter to a close. It was stated, at the beginning, that our loading object was to sttldy man in his rela­tions to what we defined Medical Climate; and we have adhered as the originals at hand ; but some of them, unfortunately, had been loaned out, and did not roach us in time. In these essays, tho reader will find a mass of very important statistical matter, bearing on the influence of climates on mcos, &o. IIo confit·ms all our ILssortions with regard to tho comparative exemption of negroes from malarial diseases, and their greater liability to typhoid and lung diseases, as well as cholera. He further shows the interesting fact, that tho Jews exhibit a peculiar physiology and pathology; with other singular data, from which my space and subject only permit me to condense a few vital statistics illustrative of tho present enormous increase of tho "chosen people." In 1840, the Jews in Prussia numbered 190,000. They had ineronscd by 50,000 (85 per cent.) sinco the census of 1822 The Christians, in tho same kingdom, in 1822, wore, 11,519,000; and, in 1840, 14,784,000 (only 18 per cont. of augmontll.tion). During those eighteen yoars, births among tho Jews exceeded deaths by 20 per 100; and, among tho Christians, only 21. "The increase of the Jewish populo.tion is tho more rcmarknble, becauS'O, between 1822 and 1840, some 22,000 Prussian Jews embraced ChristinnHy, whilst there was no instance wherein n Christian had nccepteu Judaism." Iu Pn1ssin, "out of 100,000 individuals, nrc reckoned: OJIRISTIAN, Marriages........... .. . ... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. ...... ...... ... 898 Dirths .................................................... 1001 Deaths, still-born comprised ........................ 2961 JEWJSII. 719 8546 2161" the incrense being duo to excess of births over deaths, among tho Jews. Dcsides, tho Jews arc longer lived :-their women do not work in factories, nor labor whilst nursing; so that, upon 100,000 infants, we find "OIIRISTfANS. Still-born........................................... 8,560 Died in tho first year ............................ 17,418 JEWS. 2,524 12,985" Again, tho men are rarely sailors, miners, &o. They arc sober. They marry young. Upou 100,000, tho Christinns bring forth 280 illegitimate children; tho Jews only 67. 1'ho proportion of boy~ is greater among the Israelites. They nro subject to cntttneous and opllthalmio diseases, since tho times of Tacitus, and of Moses; but arc wonderfully exempt from hetwier scourges-from plague, in 1836; from typ1m~, in 1505 and 1824; from illtermillent. feve~~, at Rome, in 1691; from dy~entery, at Nimllguo, in J 736. Croup is rare among th01r c~tldrou; and, at ]>oson, whOl'O Shlavos have tho plica l'olonica as 1 in 83, nnd Germnua as lm 65, tho Jews only suffer as 1 in 88. They have more olll men and more children than Christiana; and their health is ovory­wher~ bcttor-owin~, in ~a~·t, to race pre8erving itself pure through intermarriage; and espec111Jly to tho hyg1ane en.Jomcd upon thorn by their religion . .. 1.'acitus~ when tho Jews wore exiled to Sardinia, wrote "Et si ob gravitatem eooli into­rnssont, vtlo damnum !"-and again, "Profana ill is omnia quro 11pud nos sana; rursum concessa npud .mos. qu~ nobis inces.ta." On which Dr. Boudin observes ;83 "1'his saying o: the great lnstonan IS at least as true n.t the physical as at tho moral-order point of vte~. Tho mor~ ono. studies tho JcwiRh mce, tho more one p rcoivos it subjected to pntho­l~ gtcal 1:\ws wh1~h, m the double aspect of aptitude n.nd immunities, establish a broad lmo of demarcation between it and tho populations amid which it happens to dwell." 11 ~tudu ltatiatiquu aur Ia lou de la 1'\)pulati<m, Pl\rls, 1840, pp. 24-6. OLil\£ATE AND DISEASES ON MAN. 3!)!) closely to the plan as the complex nature of the subject woul<l permit. After the train of facts adduced, H will hardly be denied that tho historical races-those whose migt·ations have brought them within the range of investigation-have theit· appropriate geographical ranges, beyond which they cannot go with impunity; and there is ample ground for tho belief, that the same general law applies equally to all other races that have not yet been subjected to statis­tical scrutiny. Nor could any other result have been rationally looked for, by one who reflects on tho wonderful harmony that per­vades the infinite works of Nature; and which is nowhere mot·e beautifully illustrated, than in the adaptation of animals and plants to climate, as exhibited in the innumerable Faunas and :Floras of tho earth. Vi owed anatomically and zooloo-ically, man is but an animal; and govcmccl by the same organic laws as other animals. lie has more intelligence than others; combines a mo1·al with his physical nature; and is more impressible than others by surrounding influences. Although boastino- of reason, as tho pr rogative that distinguishes him, he is, in many respects, the most unreasonable of all animals. Wllile civilizatiou, in its progress, represses the gross vices of bar­barism, and brings the refinements of music, poetry, tho fino arts, together with the precepts of a purer r ligion, it almost balances tho account by luxury, insincerity, political, social, and tt·ading vices, which follow its march everywhere. If tho ancient Britons and Kelts be fairly balanced against the modern .Anglo-Saxons, Yank es, and Gauls, it will be hard to say in which scale the most true virtue will he found. Fashion, in our clay, has substituted moral for phy­sical cruelty. The ancient barbarians plundered, and cut each others' throats. Civilized man now passes his life in scandal and tlt ' tricks of trade. Look around, now-a-clays, at the so-called civilized nations of the earth, and ask what they have been doing for tbo last half century? We see man everywhere, not only warring against laws, voluntarily imposed upon himself for his own good, but bidding defiance to tho laws of God, both natllral and revealed. He is the most destructive of all animals. Not satisfied with wantonly destroy­ing, £or amusement, the animals and pl.ants around him, his greatest glory lies in blowino- out the brains of his fellow-man; nay, more, his ehiof delight is to destroy his own soul and body by vice and luxury. Nor do s his rebellious and restless spirit suftcr him to be content with a limited field of action: he forsakes the land of his birth, with all its associations, and all the comforts which earth can give, to colonize foreign lands-where he knows full well that a thousand t :