Volume 1

Annals of influenza, or epidemic catarrhal fever in Great Britain, 1510-1837 / prepared and edited by Theophilus Thompson.

  • New Sydenham Society
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annals of influenza, or epidemic catarrhal fever in Great Britain, 1510-1837 / prepared and edited by Theophilus Thompson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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    a great figure in this study; but it is still to be wished that some time or other, from a long course and number of accurate experiments made in all parts of the world, we may see a general and perfect history of the atmosphere; a work, which, as it is of the greatest use, so has it been a long while wanted: I have, for my part, thrown this my mite into the public treasury, in which I have, indeed, used all the care and exactness in my power, being little solicitous about the elegance of it; my business being to write as a physician, and not as an orator. ‘ Non nobis licet esse tam disertis Qui musas coliraus severiores.’—Martial. November, 1729.^—The whole of this month was very stormy and rainy, the S. and S.AV. winds blowing extremely hard, which occasioned the Barometer to fall considerably. There were great irruptions of the tide every v here. i_ ‘I m u}iL — — / // / “Rain 1 . 2- 4.6.7.8 . 9 . 11 — 13—16 . 18.19.20 . /// //// / It / 23 . 24.25 . 26 . 27 . 30 . = 6 . 333. ' A. B. signifies Aurora Borealis (or the Northern Lights, as they are sometimes called); thus A. 5. 22.10 p.m. W. N. W. 1, implies that there was an Aurora Borealis the 22d day at 10 o’clock at night, the wind being at West-North-West, a light breeze. This mark set over the number of any day in the column of rain, denotes that on such day there was a good deal of rain. JL This mark signifies a heavy rain to have fell that day. iiL This, a very heavy rain. 'JJI This, a violent rain. Where any number of days are joined by a straight line, thus 12—16, it signifies that it rained more or less every day, from the 12th to the 16th. X This mark set at the head of a figure which is placed after any particular wind, to denote its force, shows such wind to have blown very strong; but when it is set at the bottom, the contrary. Thus, in November 1728, you \\ill find 18.2 p.m. S. S. E. 4^., viz, the 18th at 2 in the afternoon there was a violent storm, with the wind at South-South-East. Through the whole of the work I have made use of the Julian or old style. The observations were made generally twice a day, viz. about 8 o’clock in the morning (a.m.), and 6 in the afternoon or evening (p.m.) The Roman characters included in crotchets [A.] [B.] [C.] &c., refer to the re- marks and notes at the end of each year.