The climate of the island of Madeira, or the errors & misrepresentations on this subject contained in a recent work on climate by T.H. Burgess, M.D. : considered in a letter addressed to George Lund, M.D. / by James Mackenzie Bloxam.
- Bloxam, James Mackenzie.
- Date:
- 1855
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The climate of the island of Madeira, or the errors & misrepresentations on this subject contained in a recent work on climate by T.H. Burgess, M.D. : considered in a letter addressed to George Lund, M.D. / by James Mackenzie Bloxam. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
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![meteorological observations of Drs. Gourlay and Heine- ken ; and the part of Dr. Burgess's work, especially de- voted to the climate of Madeira, ends here. Where, then, are the positive data upon which Dr. Burgess founds his assertion that the meteorological observations of Drs. Heineken and Gourlay, as well as of Dr. Mason, incon- testably establish that Madeira, with all its sanitary fame, is no exception to the rule which our author lays down respecting the non-beneficial effects of warm air and sunny skies in foreign climates ? I shall add a few lines to sup- ply this deficiency. Dr. Gourlay's register contains monthly statements of the highest, lowest, and medium states of the thermome- ter and of the barometer; accompanied by general re- marks on the wind, weather, and state of the vegetation; hut no hygrometrical observations whatever. At the end of the register, as printed for ten years, we find the fol- lowing note,— The editor has taken the liberty of ter- minating here, the series of meteorological observations. Their continuance for so long a period as sixteen years, affords undoubted proofs of the persevering attention and unwearied diligence of the author; but it seems question- able whether the curiosity of any reader could overcome their monotonous sameness, which is augmented by the steady uniformity of a mild and temperate climate. When Dr. Burgess tells us, unequivocally, that he has really examined this ten years' register; points out in what manner it warrants or gives any, even the slightest sup]3ort to his conclusions ;—when Dr. Burgess furnishes us with grounds for believing that the incontestable proof professedly drawn, in part from this source, is in fact drawn from any other source than his own imagination, it will be time enough for me to labour over the same ground. In the mean time I shall be satisfied with Dr. Gourlay's conclusions, which are directly opposed to those of Dr. Burgess. I must add, hoAvever, that accord- ing to the title prefixed to Dr. Gourlay's register his observations were made in the city of Funchal: but Dr.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22279969_0064.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
