An inaugural dissertation on the influenza : submitted to the public examination of the faculty of physic, under the authority of the trustees of Columbia College, in the state of New-York, William Samuel Johnson, LL.D. president ; for the degree of Doctor of Physic, on the sixth day of May, 1794 / by Peter Irving, citizen of the state of New-York.

  • Irving, Peter, 1772-1838.
Date:
1794
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An inaugural dissertation on the influenza : submitted to the public examination of the faculty of physic, under the authority of the trustees of Columbia College, in the state of New-York, William Samuel Johnson, LL.D. president ; for the degree of Doctor of Physic, on the sixth day of May, 1794 / by Peter Irving, citizen of the state of New-York. 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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    fhould admit of diftufion in a large portion of atmof- phcri^ fluid, without lofing its active qualities. We arc, it is true, convinced by daily experience, that large quantities of the miafma of marflies, may be blended with the air, or held in folution by it, and by this mode of conveyance, exert its injurious effects on the human body. With the fource of this miafma we are well ac- quainted, and know that continual fupplies of it are conftantly furniihed by the numerous fens and marflies with which all parts of the world abound. Yet, not- withftanding this extenfive, this unceafing fupply, we never find the air fufficiently impregnated to convey it to far and diftant parts in all its native virulence. The activity of the effluvia from marflies, fecms to be loft by its being diflufed through, and diluted with the innoxious particles of the atmofphere, that in a fhort time it becomes perfectly inert. Thus it is in the vicinity of marflies, of low and wet fituations, re- plete with pools of fbgnant water, where the air is loaded with perpetual exhalations, the products of heat and moiftnare operating on the furface of the earth, covered with putrid vegetable and animal fub- ftances: it is in fach places, and in fuch only, that intermittents ufually appear.* The inhabitants of the * It is not my intention to maintain that intermittents are produced only by marfh miafma. It is, however, univer- sally allowed, that this is the mod common caufe of them.