ground. During these days various dangerous diseases occur, espe cially putrid fevers with cutaneous eruptions, gall-fevers and dysentery. No person would have it supposed that he has contracted such severe and dangerous disorders through his own negligence and indiscretion; and the Dog-star has the kindness to take all the blame upon itself. But I have undertaken to clear it from all these false imputations, and I shall take the liberty of putting our own folly in its place. Putrid fevers have received their name from the putridity with which our juices are affected in these diseases. In my next paper I intend to show how liable the heat of the atmosphere is to produce putrefaction in the animal juices; and to give directions for obviating the ill consequences of that heat; and how to avoid taking cold, in particular during perspiration. For the present, therefore, I shall confine myself to some hints relative to cold water, which some are in the habit of drinking copiously in hot weather. I cannot approve the practice of plunging liquids into ice in hot weather to render them cold. In all that we eat and drink, a certain proportion should be observed in the temperature, that they may not occasion too rapid and violent a change in the body. But let us only compare the degree of heat of the blood and stomach in the hottest of the Dog-days, with the icy coldness communicated to the liquids which we swallow, and is not this correcting one extreme by another? How liable are the overheated juices to become congealed by the great degree of cold! How easily may the minutest vessels in which they circulate be thereby contracted! And how soon may not these combined causes produce obstructions of the juices in these minute vessels! Hence arise the fatal inflammatory fevers which are so common in hot weather, and which we denominate inflammations of the stomach, and pleurisy. Seven days, and even a shorter period, are frequently sufficient to terminate in this manner the life of a person who was previously in robust health; and it is not the Dog-star, but the luxurious gratification which we seek in cooling ourselves by refrigerants, that occasions this catastrophe. Hence I should wish that all those who during these days send to the ice-cellars for ice to cool their liquors, might fare like a certain labouring man, who, being ordered to fetch some ice for his master, put it into a sack, which he threw across his shoulder, and had to carry a couple of miles one very hot sunny day. The sack became gradually lighter and lighter the farther he proceeded; so that, when he reached his journey's end, his load was completely dissolved, and he brought his master nothing but a wet sack to cool his liquor. The ancient Water from deep wells, when fresh drawn, is quite cold enough to lower the temperature of liquids sufficiently for drinking, and even to produce fatal effects, if taken by one who is overheated. Indian practice of fastening wet cloths round drinking vessels, setting them in a draught of air, and keeping them moist, is also adequate to this purpose. But the more thirsty and the hotter a person is, the more cautious he should be in drinking it; and in order to abate the keenness of his thirst before he drinks, it is advisable for him to chew a morsel of bread for the purpose of increasing the flow of the saliva. The bread, if swallowed, lays a foundation in the stomach, which prevents the liquid from coming into immediate contact with the latter and cooling it too suddenly. Pleurisies and other inflammatory fevers are most dangerous at this season, because they are liable to unite with a turn to putrid fevers. An inflammatory complaint of a week's standing or longer, is capable in more than one way of turning to a putrid disorder, though originally not connected with the latter. The blood becomes violently heated in inflammations, which dispose it, in the same manner as external heat, to putrefaction. Add to this the foul air in sick rooms, which of itself is sufficient to induce putridity of the juices. When this is combined with inflammatory fever, the life of the patient is in the most imminent danger, and this danger almost always arises from our carelessness, which is itself a consequence of our excessive luxury. Sydenham, next to Hippocrates the most accurate observer perhaps among physicians, ascertained from experience that the gall-fever is liable to be occasioned solely by great heat without the intervention of other causes. It disposes our juices to putrefaction, and of all these juices the gall is most liable to be affected by it. The effect of heat on the gall is twofold; or perhaps both are but different degrees of one and the same influence. In the one the heat merely renders the gall more sharp, penetrating, and subtle, without so far deranging its natural composition as to cause putrefaction. This is the inferior degree of the effect of heat, which precedes putrefaction; or possibly it takes place only in a gall that is naturally less disposed to putrefaction than another, under the powerful operation of heat. Indeed it may be generally observed in regard to all our juices, that in some persons they resist contagion much more strongly than in others, though both may be exposed to the same causes of putrefaction. There are persons whom pestilence itself never attacks. There are corpses which continue fresh and undecayed for a century in vaults where all the others are mouldered into dust. I am not able to explain how this happens; but I am not on that account accustomed to doubt of things which I cannot comprehend. Let it happen, however, as it will, so much is certain, that the gall may be violently heated without passing into putrefaction. We observe this in irascible persons, whose gall is changed by passion, in the same manner as I conceive it to be affected by heat, when the latter does not immediately produce putrefaction. When heat attacks the gall in this manner, the same changes ensue in the body as take place in an irritable person, whose gall is heated by rage. If we now consider that anger has of old been termed a short madness, and that this short madness poisons the saliva of all animals; we shall easily comprehend how it is that both men and brutes are in danger of going mad in the heat of the dog-days. The putrid gall-fever is a dreadful disease, being a compound of a putrid and an inflammatory fever. On account of its fatal effects it was denominated by the ancients the murderous fever. It arises from the putrefaction of the gall occasioned by heat; and he must be obstinately intent on sophistries, like Democritus with his figs, who should pretend to seek its origin beyond the heated atmosphere, in the distant Dog-star. The same observation applies to the dysentery. The ordinary dysentery is invariably a putrid fever. Were the Dog-days the cause of this disorder, it would not manifest itself so often at other seasons of the year, when people are so liable to take cold after great heat, by checking the transpiration. It occurs very frequently among the labouring class in harvest-time when they have overheated themselves at work in the day, and neglect the necessary precautions against taking cold in the cool nights which succeed. As various kinds of fruit are just then eaten, it has been conjectured that the eating of fruit which is not ripe, or which is impregnated with pernicious effluvia, is the sole cause of dysentery. But though that circumstance may indeed contribute something towards the breaking out of the disease, and determine and occasion this species of putrid fever rather than any other; still we know from many attentive observations, that fruit is not the universal or main cause of this disorder. The first symptom of dysentery, which is so different from a common flux, shews that it arises from a general putrefaction of the juices, and that it is nothing but a putrid fever, which opens itself a way to its crisis through the bowels. The art of guarding against all these dangerous diseases in the Dogdays consists in avoiding whatever tends to dispose our juices to putrefaction. A man's whole previous mode of life must lay the foundation for this. Two principal points are the constant enjoyment of fresh and pure air at all times of the year, and attention to keep up the insensible transpiration. I cannot too strongly exhort every one, on the first appearance of symptoms of these dangerous diseases, to consult without loss of time some experienced physician; and in cases where such a one is not to be had immediately, it is better to take nothing till his arrival, than by a bad beginning of the cure to lay the foundation for a melancholy termination. The wish to render a service to my readers and to correct the pernicious prejudices of men in such important matters, has induced me to fill the latter half of this paper with considerations which to many may appear rather dry. I shall now make the application of all these considerations to the Dog-days. We have seen that all the danger we have to fear from them arises solely from the great heat to which we are usually exposed in those days. On account of this heat the taking of physic, bleeding, meditation, &c. are held to be prejudicial in the Dogdays, and not without reason, with this proviso, that the Dog-days are hot. As, however, all medicines are not hurtful in hot weather, and some diseases originating in the heat necessarily require the use of physic and bleeding, the rule is liable in this respect to a sweeping exception-unless indeed we are to believe that we ought to die rather than take physic in the Dog-days. On the other hand this prejudice is totally unfounded when the Dog-days are cool. Our makers of almanacks, therefore, would do well to change their antiquated mode of expression, and instead of exhorting their readers to Take no physic in the Dog-days-let them substitute the following: It is hurtful to take heating medicines in hot weather. To heating medicines should, it is true, be added heating food and drink, heating passions, and too laborious work. I can scarely expect that your regular topers will abstain from their bottle in the Dog-days: they will not degrade themselves so low as to believe the influence of the Dog-star, and I apprehend that they will not be more likely to believe me. In this case, since I have done for them all that lies in my power, I must act towards them as, according to Holberg, some Jutlanders did towards a Swedish ship which they fell in with. This vessel was in such a wretched plight that her crew hourly expected her to founder, and solicited the assistance of the Danes. Though Sweden was then at war with Denmark, the Jutlanders took compassion on their state; but when they found that the Swedes were twice as numerous as themselves, they devoutly folded their hands, saying :—" Sink in the name of the Lord!" 66 PROCLAMATION BY AN EMPEROR. Being his first attempt in Poetry. WHEREAS We took an opportu- That we much rather felt the need To hatch all sorts of crimin- We do command that Lady Ox- If caught in Austría, we desire Moreover, as our subjects know naro in his fancies, If he should fall into their net, H. ઃ DINNER IN THE STEAM-BOAT. "They fool me to the top of my bent."-SHAKSPEARE. COME, Mrs. Suet, Mrs. Hoggins, Mrs. Sweetbread, Mrs. Cleaver! dinner's ready; shall I show you the way down to the cabin? we mustn't spoil good victuals though we are sure of good company. Lauk! what a monstrous deal of smoke comes out of the chimney. I suppose they are dressing the second course; every thing's roasted by steam, they say,-how excessively clever! As to Mrs. Dip, since she's so high and mighty, she may find her own way down. What! she's afraid of spoiling her fine shawl, I reckon, though you and I remember, Mrs. Hoggins, when her five-shilling Welsh-whittle was kept for Sunday's church, and good enough too, for we all know what her mother was. Good Heavens! here comes Undertaker Croak, looking as down in the mouth as the root of my tongue: do let me get out of his way; I wouldn't sit next to him for a rump and dozen, he does tell such dismal stories that it quite gives one the blue devils. He is like a nightmare, isn't he, Mr. Smart?"—" He may be like a mare by night," replied Mr. Smart, with a smirking chuckle, "but I consider him more like an ass by day.-He! he! he!" Looking round for applause at this sally, he held out his elbows, and taking a lady, or rather a female, under each arm, he danced towards the hatchway, exclaiming, "Now I am ready trussed for table, liver under one wing and gizzard under the other."-"Keep a civil tongue in your head, Mr. Smart; I don't quite understand being called a liver-look at the sparks coming out of the chimney, I declare I'm frightened to death."-" Well, then you are of course no longer a liver," resumed the facetious Mr. Smart; "so we may as well apply to Mr. Croak to bury you."—"O Gemini! don't talk so shocking; I had rather never die at all than have such a fellow as that to bury me."-" Dickey, my dear!" cried Mrs. Cleaver to her son, who was leaning over the ship's side with a most woe-begone and emetical expression of countenance, hadn't you better come down to dinner? There's a nice silver side of a round o' beef, and the chump end of a line o' mutton, besides a rare hock of bacon, which I dare say will settle your stomach."-"O mother," replied the young Cockney, "that 'ere cold beef-steak and inguns vat you put up in the pocket-handkerchief, vasn't good I do believe, for all my hinsides are of a work." —“Tell 'em it's a holiday," cried Smart.-"O dear, O dear!" continued Dick, whose usual brazen tone was subdued into a lackadaisical whine, "I vant to reach and I can't-vat shall I do, mother?"-" Stand on tiptoe, my darling," replied Smart, imitating the voice of Mrs. Cleaver, who began to take in high dudgeon this horse-play of her neighbour, and was proceeding to manifest her displeasure in no very measured terms, when she was fortunately separated from her antagonist, and borne down the hatchway by the dinner-desiring crowd, though sundry echoes of the words "Jackanapes!" and "imperent feller!" continued audible above the confused gabble of the gangway. "Well, but Mr. Smart," cried Mrs. Suet, as soon as she had satisfied the first cravings of her appetite, "you promised to tell me all about the steam, and explain what it is that makes them wheels go round and round as fast as those of our one-horse chay, when Jem Ball drives the trotting mare."-"Why, ma'am, you must understand-" "Who |
