Some account of the last yellow fever epidemic of British Guiana / by Daniel Blair ; edited by John Davy.

Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Some account of the last yellow fever epidemic of British Guiana / by Daniel Blair ; edited by John Davy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    evil of so great a magnitude, there is an object worthy the exertion of science, and of unsparing expenditure.* The following tables are intended to show the modifications of the atmosphere which coincided with the termination of the epidemic. In order to determine their value, it will be necessary to state, that for the first two months of 1843, obser- vations were made on the heat, weight, and moisture at 8 a.m., 2 p.m., andt8 p.m. daily; that from the 1st March, 1843, the meteorological hours were those recommended by the Committee of Physics of the Royal Society of London, 3 a.m., 9 a.m., 3 p. m., and 9 P. m. ; that the instruments were elevated about 3o| feet from the ground, or 33^ from the level of the sea at high water of spring tides, in a chamber, the aspect of which was north and east, and where they were well protected from reflected or radiated heat; that the pressure of atmosphere was ascertained by Hyde's sympiesometer, from Watkins and Hill of London, which, by comparison with Sir Robert Schom- burgk's mercurial barometer, was found to be +-068, the standard barometer of the Royal Society. The rain gauge was elevated about 45 feet, and observed once in 24 hours. The wind gauge was Whewel's, and read off twice daily, viz. at 6 a.m. and 6 P.M., in order to estimate the day and night, or land and sea breeze. The wet and dry bulb hygrometer only was used. The electroscope was an insulated copper wire, raised 83 feet, and not in the neighbourhood of trees, with a gold leaf electrometer, properly sheltered from the rain, and whose glass shade contained lime that had been rendered anhydrous. It will be seen that, although the observations were made with great regularity, there is an occasional blank. Thus the self-registering thermometer got out of repair; the rain gauge also : on such occasions blanks are left in the tables. It will be seen also that till July, 1843, Whewel's anemometer was not erected; till that time Lind's had been tried, but without satis- faction. An entire break occurs during July, August, September, and October, 1845 (the two last months of which were without * [The advantage of such inquiry as that suggested in the text can hardly be doubted. Recently a board of commissioners was constituted in British Guiana for entering on the investigation in that colony, which straitened circumstances and want of funds, unfortunately, hitherto have rendered in- efficient.]— Ed.
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