The soil in its relation to disease : a report of observations / by T. R. Lewis, and D. D. Cunningham.

  • Lewis, T. R. (Timothy Richards), 1841-1886.
Date:
1875
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The soil in its relation to disease : a report of observations / by T. R. Lewis, and D. D. Cunningham. 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.

    1/28
    A REPORT OE OBSERVATIONS BY T. R. LEWIS, m.b., AND D. D. CUNNINGHAM, m.b. CONTENTS. Page. Introductory Remarks . . . . . • . . .1 n) Mode in which the observations have been conducted, and the sources of various data . . .2 (a) Carbonic Acid of the Soil-Air. . . . . . . .2 (b) Soil-Temperature . . . . . . . . .3 (c) Open-Air-Temperature ; (d) Rain-fall and (e) Wind-velocity . . . . .4 (/) Water-level . . . . . . . .4 (g) Statistics of Disease . . . . . . . .4 (2) —Fluctuations in the amount of Carbonic Acid in the Soil . . . . . .11 (a) Average amount of Carbonic Acid in the Soil of Calcutta as compared with that of Munich . ] 1 (b) The fluctuations in the amount of Carbonic Acid in the Soils of Calcutta and Munich compared . 11 (c) The quantities of Carbonic Acid present at different times in the upper and lower layers of Soil . 12 (rf) Comparison of the amount of Carbonic Acid present in the Soil with the temperature of the Soil at similar depths . . . . . . . .13 (e) Comparison of the amount of Carbonic Acid present in the Soil with the atmospheric temperature . 13 (f) Comparison of the amount of Carbonic Acid in the Soil with the Rain-fall . . .13 (g) Comparison of the amount of Carbonic Acid in the Soil with Water-level . . .14 (h) Comparison of the amount of Carbonic Acid with Wind-velocity . . . .14 (3) —Temperature of the Soil . . . . . . . . .14 (4) —Water-level . . . . . • . . . .14 (5) —Relations which the different conditions of Soil bear to one another . . . . .15 (6) —Comparison of the prevalence of Disease with various conditions of Soil . . . .15 (7) —General conclusions regarding the observations . . . . . . .16 Tables I to VI.—Weekly averages of the amount of Carbonic Acid in the Soil; Soil-Temperature, &c., in relation to disease . . . . . . . . . 5 to 10 Table VII.—Monthly mean of Soil-Temperature; Water-level, &c., from February 1872 to August 1874 16 Diagram I.—Amount of Carbonic Acid at various depths in the Soil of Calcutta and Munich Diagrams II and III.—Comparisons of various Soil conditions with the prevalence of Disease Diagram IV.—Carbonic Acid in the Soil; and Wind-velocity . 11 12-13 14 The present Report embodies the results of observations which have been Soil-conditions in relation to dis- carried out with a view of determining to what ex- ease- tent peculiar conditions or changes of condition in the soil in Calcutta affect the prevalence of disease in general, and of certain diseases in particular. The phenomena forming the subjects of observation were :— (1) The amount of moisture in the soil; (2) The temperature of the soil; and (3) The amount of carbonic acid in soil-air. As is well known, marked attention has lately been directed to the import- ance of soil-meteorology as affecting the prevalence of disease, and it formed one of the subjects to which our attention was directed by the Army Sanitary Commission and by Dr. Parkes. Most careful observations have been published by Dr. Max von Pettenkofer and other savants regarding it—indeed, it was at the special suggestion of Dr. von Pettenkofer that some of the observations here recorded were undertaken. Observations on the varying conditions of soil-moisture as indicated by , , water-level and rain-fall have been carried out in Observations on water-level. ^ • x t c i mi many places m India lor some years, and although, owing to the difficulties incident on the beginning of any entirely new series of