Influence of climate in a commercial, social, sanitary, and humanizing point of view : being a paper read before the American Geographical and Statistical Society : accompanied by a map of the world showing the most important isothermal lines / by J. Disturnell.
- John Disturnell
- Date:
- 1860
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Influence of climate in a commercial, social, sanitary, and humanizing point of view : being a paper read before the American Geographical and Statistical Society : accompanied by a map of the world showing the most important isothermal lines / by J. Disturnell. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)
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![NOTES Relating to Cities and Countries situated in Southern Latitudes. Teheran, the capital city of Persia, is situated 70 miles south of the Caspian Sea, and 210 miks north of Ispahan, the former capital, Lat. 35° 42'North; Long. 52° 20' East. The stationary population is estimat- ed at 20,000, hut during the residence of the court in winter, it is 60,000 and upwards. The city is about five miles in circuit, and enclosed by an earthen wall flanked with towers, a glacis, and a dry trench. In summer it is so unhealthy that the Shah and the upper classes leave it to encamp or reside on the plains of Sultania, about 150 miles north-westward. Cairo, or as it is often called, Grand Cairo, the chief city of modern Egypt, is situated on the right or east bank of the Nile, 12 miles above the commencement of the Delta, in N. Lat. 30° 2', E. Long. 31° 15' ; 110 miles from Alexandria by the land route across the Delta, and about 174 miles by water. The main body of the city is distant about two miles from the river, and is situated at the entrance of that immense plain, com- posed of alluvial soil, which here suddenly spreads out from the Nile, and comprehends the whole of Lower Egypt. The population of Cairo is com- posed of a great many different races; the most numerous are the Arabs who constitute the body of the people. Some have estimated the whole number of souls at 000,000, asserting that in one season, 300,000 have been swept off by the plague. The present population is variously esti- mated to be from 200,000 to 300,000. The mean annual temperature is 72° Fahr. Though the diseases of Cairo are common to all Lower Egypt, they are, perhaps, aggravated by local circumstances. The most unhealthy season is the latter part of April and the whole of May, when the Khama- sin winds blow. One out of every six among the inhabitants is either blind, or has some complaint in the eyes ; but of all the diseases to which Cairo is subject, the plague is undoubtedly the most terrible. It generally rages in Egypt once in every four or five years, and continues only during the winter season, when it has been known to sweep off 1,500 souls a-day from the population of Cairo alone. It is remarkable, however, that the Europeans who reside on the very banks of the canal, are less subject to it than the natives. It would appear that the pestilential atmosphere pos- sesses a considerable specific gravity, as it is not found to ascend so high as the tops of the houses; where the Europeans freely appear, and survey in serenity the havoc of death in the streets below. The climates of Egypt and Arabia, lying on both sides of the Red Sea, are described by modern travellers as very changeable, whatever might have been their ancient reputation when filled with magnificent cities and massive works of art, indicating a good climate and a high state of civili- zation. The fact is, Egypt has four distinct seasons; and as its aspect undergoes periodical and striking changes with the seasons, the description given of it by the traveller entirely depends on the season during which he visits it. The first season is that of the inundation of the Nile, which ex- tends from July to the winter solstice. During this season the air is moist, and the mornings and evenings are foggy. The second season, begins in the middle of December, and lasts till March. Though the nights are cold, this may be called the Egyptian Spring ; the days are hot, and the vegeta- tion is rapid and luxurious. The third season begins in March, and lasts till the end of May. It has been called the endemic-season, from the pre- ■v alence of endemic diseases during its continuance. The fourth season extends from June till the period of the swelling of the Nile, and is in the highest degree pleasant and refreshing. The beauty of the night in Egypt has been the theme of every traveller's eulogy; the sky is represented as cloudless and the brightness of the moon very intense. It is a curious meteorological fact, that the abundance of the dew deposited in the night is always in proportion to the clearness of the atmosphere. The difference between the great heat of summer, and the greatest cold is about 30 degrees Fahrenheit. The thermometer commonly ranges in summer from 90° to 92°; in winter from 58° to 60°. The mean temperature of Lower Egypt is between 70° and 72°. In Upper Egypt, where the lands, by their elevation are protected from the inundation of the Nile, the climate and soil are represented as being both healthful and highly invigorating. Wheat, barley, beans, and maize are here produced in large quantities and of a superior quality. The horse, the camel, and other domestic animals, also thrive in this region as well as in portions of Arabia and Nubia. Bombay, the principal British settlement on the western coast of India; situated in 18° 56' N. Lat., and 72° 57' E. Long., commands an extensive commerce with the west coast of India, and with the countries situated in the Persian and Arabian Gulfs. Bombay is not a healthy place; it is damp and relaxing, and liver complaints it is said, are more frequent and fatal here than in any other part of India. The mean maximum at 4 p.m. throughout the jear is 82D 4' Fahr.; the mean minimum 81° 5', showing a more equable temperature than that of Bengal. The rains last about four months, continuing, with little interuption, from about the end of May to the beginning of October. Heavy mists rise up at sunset from the lower grounds; and the stranger is often kept for whole nights awake by the croaking of the bull-frogs beneath his window. Reptiles of almost every denomination swarm in Bombay, and the insect tribe is very numerous. [English Gazetteer.'] Calcutta, situated in the midst of a flat marshy country, and exposed to tropical heats, can never enjoy a salubrious atmosphere. At its first establishment as an European Colony, the climate was almost equally de- structive with that of Batavia ; and though now greatly ameliorated, by clearing away the trees and jungle in the vicinity, draining some of the most offensive marshes, and filling up many of the tanks in the streets, it still proves a severe trial to European constitutions. Many fall a sacrifice to its first attacks, and more have received the seeds of a slow but certain de- struction. A sallow and livid complexion, says Dr. Tennant, is so universal, that when you behold a face of the roseate hue, you can pro- nounce that its owner is newly arrived, nearly with as much certainty as if you heard that part of his history from his own mouth. Diseases, how- ever are not so prevalent in Calcutta as formerly; this is owing more, per- haps, to greater temperance in the use of spirituous liquors, and the superior construction of the houses, than to any material improvement in the atmosphere, the inhabitants are also better acquainted with the means of counteracting the effects of a bad climate ; and the nature and treatment of the peculiar disorders of the country have been more precisely ascertained. The rainy season at Calcutta, generally begins about the middle of June and terminates in the middle of October. The annual mean temp, is 78D 13' ; the annual mean of the barometer is 29.764 ; the average fall of rain for three years was 59.83 inches. The most pleasant part of the year, is from October to March. By the middle of April, on the failure of the N. W. gales, the heat has become excessive, often exceeding 100°. By excluding the outward air, the temperature may bo kept at from 80° to 85°, but close and grave like ; and to go to an open window or door, is literally like approaching the mouth of one of the blast fur- naces in Colebrookdale.—\_Heber.~\ China.—A country extending from north to south, twenty-three degrees of latitude, as China, must necessarily experience great variety of climate. Its temperature is generally lower than that of European countries under the same latitude ; but it is in excesses of the summer and winter temperature that the climate is most remarkable. The southern provinces, from their proximity to the equator, experience heats stronger than those of Bengal, but moderated by periodical winds; while the northern provinces, owing partly to their distance from the equator, and partly to the lofty mountains of Tartary, are often extremely cold. The mean heat of Canton, in N. lat. 22° 10' is about 70° Fahr.; but the temperature is frequently below the freezing point in January. No part of China is said to be particularly](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21115072_0025.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
