REPORT OF PAYMENTS

ON ACCOUNT OF SUBSCRIPTION, SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF OUR LAST.

CONTENTS

OF

THE NEW ORLEANS

MEDICAL AND SURGICAL JOURNAL.

VOL. IV. No. IV. FOR JANUARY, 1848.

PART FIRST.

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS.

ART. I.-Researches on Meteorology. By BENNET DOWLER, M. D.
ART. II.-A Case of False Aneurism of the Prufunda Artery, with
Disease of the Bone, for which a Ligature was placed on the Femoral
Artery, and afterwards Amputation of the Limb. By THOMAS N. LOVE,
M. D., Surgeon, 2d Regt. Mississippi Rifles.

ART. III.-Lecture delivered introductory to the Course of Physiology
and Pathology, in the University of Louisiana. By JOHN HARRISON,
Professor of Physiology and Pathology.

PAPH

411

434

ART. IV.-Address delivered before the Physico-Medical Society of
New Orleans, November 27th, 1846. By R. M. GRAHAM, M. D.—
Published by request.

·

439

448

ART. V.-A Case of Ovarian enlargement successfully treated with Iodine and its preparations. By N. K. LESLIE, M. D., of Jackson, La. 457

PART SECOND.

REVIEWS AND NOTICES OF NEW WORKS.

ART. I.-The Medical History of Alabama. By P. H. LEWIS, M. D., of
Mobile.

ART. II.-A System of Surgery. By J. M. CHELIUS, Doctor in Medicine and Surgery, Public Professor of General and Opthalmic Surgery, Director of the Chirurgical and Opthalmic Clinic in the University of Heidelberg, &c. &c. &c. Translated from the German, and accompanied with additional notes and observations. By JOHN F. SOUTH, late Professor of Surgery to the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and one of the Surgeons to St. Thomas Hospital. In three volumes. Philadelphia. Lea & Blanchard. 1847.

459

491

ART. III.-Lectures on the Principles and Practice of Physic, delivered
at King's College, London. By THOMAS WATSON, M. D., &c. &c. &c.
Third American, from the last London Edition, revised with additions.
By D. FRANCIS CONDIE, M. D., Secretary to the College of Physicians,
Author of a Treatise on Diseases of Children. Philadelphia. Lee &
Blanchard. 1847.

FARE

495

PART THIRD..

EXCERPTA.

I.-A Course of Lectures on the Physical Phenomena of Living Bodies."
Delivered in the university of Pisa. By Professor MATTEUCCI, F. R.
S. Translated for THE LANCET, by S. J. Goodfellow, M. D., Lond.,
late Physician to the Cumberland Infirmary.

496

PART FOURTH....

MEDICAL INTELLIGENCE.

FOREIGN.

ART. I.-On the Pathology and Treatment of Hysteria. By JAMES
MILMAN COLEY, M. D., Physician to the Western Dispensary, and
Senior Physician to the Royal Pimlico Dispensary and Lying-in In-
stitution.

ART. II.-Poisoning by Iodine.

Health of the City.

Yellow Fever.

EDITORIAL.

Mortality in the City of New Orleans for the year 1847.

Health of the Country.

Hospital Reports.

Dr. Sims on Trismus Nascentium.

Morehead's Electro-Galvanic Machine.

528

535

535

536

THE NEW ORLEANS

MEDICAL AND SURGICAL JOURNAL.

JANUARY, 1848.

Part First.

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS.

I.-Researches on Meteorology. BY BENNET DOWLER, M. D.

Meteorology by no means corresponds in a literal sense with its Greek origin-that is, Merewpos, sublimis; lofty, elevated above the earth; celestial or atmospheric phenomena; for, "Hecla, pouring her flames through boundless wastes of snow"-the earthquake, the Gulfstream-physical geography-hydrography and medical topography, are as much subjects of this science as the shooting stars-the thunderbearing cloud-the hurricane-the hail-the rain-the cloud-waterspouts, those cataracts of the sky-the aurora borealis-the "solar walk and milky way"-" the sun from behind the moon, in dim eclipse" -the monstrous Spectre of the Brocken which looms on the summit of the Hartz Mountains, and which terrifies the good people of Hanoveror "the dewy cloud, and in the cloud a bow conspicuous, with seven listed colors gay."

In fact, Meteorology is becoming more terrene, and less celestialless astrological. Our distinguished countryman, the late Dr. Noah Webster, in his elaborate, but dry work on Epidemics-a work in two volumes, published nearly half a century since, without logical analysis or lucidity of arrangement, but valuable for its historical data, has with unsurpassed research ransacked the unrelenting Past,'-collected the debris of departed centuries,-remarshalled the fearful portents,enumerated the flaming comets,-recounted the planetary commotions, and pointed out the astral harbingers which appeared from time to time in the sidereal heavens, to warn an emperor of impending death, -to foreshadow an approaching earthquake.-or to usher in a mortal epidemic. These cometary visitors from the deeps of infinity, as yet,

do not appear to shake pestilence from their locks upon our planet. This branch of knowledge may be called astrological meteorology or physical astrology, and may lead to ætiological discoveries, barren though the past has been in this respect.

The scope of the present paper is very limited. The enumeration and analysis, of the celestrial, terrestial, and subterranean phenomena and the general doctrines of meteorology, with the physiological, sanitary, ætiological and climatic illustrations and applications of the same, being subjects of vast extent, I have reserved for another occa. sion. Some of these subjects will necessarily be glanced at now, in an economical as well as in a medical point of view, together with the necessity for a thorough reformation in the manner of taking thermometrical observations, as the sequel will indicate.

It were easy to show, that meteorology furnishes the capitalist and the statesman with the natural elements, so to speak, of individual and national opulence. Whenever the science of Political Economy shall be based on nature-on climate, and not on theories deduced from false legislation, national prejudice, egotism and sophistry, then it will deserve to be called Meteorological, as well as Political Economy. Frenchmen will no longer make sugar of beets. Englishmen will find that the British Isles are too nigh the icy zone to raise-not three crops in a year, as in a genial climate-but even one with certainty,that a good sun, plenty of caloric, a long summer, and a short winter, are not only necessary, but much cheaper than any other kind of capital to an agricultural population. This fact, as well as the truth. of the Malthusian doctrine, namely that population, under certain circumstances, tends to increase faster than the means of subsistence, will be admitted in Great Britain as soon as other nations cease to be dependent on that country for "manufactures. Agricultural Europe and America in high northern latitudes, spend half of their surplus capital in contending with long winters, or a low temperature, without any compensation whatever. The winter consumes the products of six month's labor as completely as the fire could,-all of which could be saved by geniality, that is cheapness of climate. Having said thus much, my Esculapian brethern will allow me a little further liberty to digress.

In northern Asia and America, twelve millions of square miles sustain less than thirty-four millions of inhabitants, while a similar area in southern Asia contains four hundred millions. Extremes serve best for illustration. Greenland was settled more than a thousand years ago, and soon after christian civilization was introduced. For ten centuries the inhabitants have warred against the climate,-they had perished long ago but for the seal which they contrived to take. Twenty years since the Greenlanders numbered about seven thousand only, spread along the coast from 60° to 73° N. lat. Now, in South America, from the Amazon to the Rio de la Plata, many estates have from fifty to two hundred thousand cattle, without any labor to the proprietor except branding etc. In France the horned cattle fall short of ten millions, averaging only 290 for every 1000 people. All the capital in the United Kingdom cannot produce three crops of maize in Ireland, which an indolent Mexican may do without difficulty. In a