Some observations upon diseases : chiefly as they occur in Sicily / by William Irvine.

  • Irvine, William, 1776-1811.
Date:
1810
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Some observations upon diseases : chiefly as they occur in Sicily / by William Irvine. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    of the fiumares, on tlie other hand, the moisture is more irregular, and may be apt to vary so mucli as in some years to be too httle, and in others too great. In many of the fiumares v/hich are ap- parently dry in summer, by going up towards their origin, one meets a streamlet of water, which gradually sinks in the gravel as it descends, and at last vanishes. But though it thus goes out of sight, it must pursue a subterraneous course for some distance at least, and sink through the soil. That it does so in some cases is evident, for at the bottom of the large fiumare which bounds Messina on the northern side, if the gravel be removed for the depth of a foot or two close to the sea shore, the hole will in a short space of time be filled with fresh water. I have often observed that such fiumares as have amongst the natives the reputa- tion of being subject to a malaria, have streams of water running all the year in their superior parts. Messina, v/hich is extremely healthy, has not a fiumare of any consequence running through it. Nevertheless, it must be allowed that this statement is not without objections. Some places on very high ground are sickly. Ibesso, or Gesso, which is situated eight miles from Messina, upon some secondary mountains lying on the side of the primitive ridge which runs northward to the straight of the Faro, has been always found an unhealthy quarter for our troops. It stands-very high, but tliere is higher groimd at some miles