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life. Those who are in the habit of feeing abortions, very readily diftinguish between thofe which have just been depriv ed of life, and those which have parted with it a long time; this bore every mark of freshness. I was therefore much ftruck with its fingularity.

The following confiderations will, I think, establish beyond doubt that, it was a cafe of fuperfœtation.

First, the abfence of hæmorrhagy during the whole period of geftation; which would not have been the cafe, had the placenta been any time detached before the period of labour.

Secondly, the ovum having nothing in common with the full-grown fœtus; on the contrary it had its own membranes, water, placenta, &c.

Thirdly, the fresh and found appearance of the ovum.

Fourthly, it having maintained its attachment to the uterus, after the birth of the other child; or at least it did not descend, so as to be discoverable by a careful examination by the vagina and otherwife, which renders its attachment more than probable, fince this muft and would have happened by the common tonic contraction of the uterus* after the birth of the other child and placenta; and that the uterus did contract is certain, as no hæmorrhage followed the extraction of the pla

centa.

CASE II.

A white woman, fervant to Mr. H. of Abington township, Montgomery county, was delivered about five and twenty years fince of twins; one of which was perfectly white; the other perfectly black. When I refided in that neighbourhood I was in the habit of feeing almost daily, and also had frequent converfations with Mrs. H. refpecting them. She was prefent at their birth, so that no poffible deception could have been practifed refpecting them. The white girl is delicate,

By tonic contraction we mean that regular and conftant contraction whereby the uterus is reduced to its original size, after the diftending causes are removed.

fair skinned, light haired, and blue eyed, and is faid to very much resemble the mother. The other has all the characterizing marks of the African; fhort of ftature, flat, broad nofed, thick lipped, woolly headed, flat footed, and projecting heels; the is faid to refemble a negro they had on the farm, but with whom the mother never would acknowledge an intimacy; but of this there was no doubt, as both he and the white man with whom her connexion was detected, ran from the neighbourhood fo foon as it was known the girl was with child.

We might produce other inftances of fuperfotation from the moft refpectable authorities, fuch as Ariftotle, Harvey, &c. but suppose the above two fufficient, as it ought perhaps to be more a matter of surprise, why it does not more frequently take place, than that it should occafionally happen; as its occurrence or non-occurrence, entirely depends on the contingency of the fooner or later arriving at maturity, of the ova, and the abforption of femen.

PHILADELPHIA,

October 9th, 1804.

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 16th, 1804.

DEAR SIR,

REPARATORY to your receiving some practical remarks

PREP

made during my refidence in the island of Jamaica, permit me to present you with a short account of the climate, at least as far as it is connected with the cause of diseases.

I am, dear Sir, with great refpect,

Your very obedient Servant,

DR. JOHN REDMAN COXE.

GEORGE FARQUHAR.

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THERE is, perhaps, no country in the world of the fame extent as Jamaica,* which embraces fuch a diversity of climate the temperature of the air being not unfrequently, at Spanish town and Kingston, and in the lowlands near the fea coast, from 92° to 95° of Farenheit's thermometer at noon; and feldom lower than 800 in the morning, during the fummer months; whereas, in many mountainous fituations, and in fome, within twelve or fifteen miles of the city of Kingston, during the fame period of the year, the thermometer is frequently confiderably below 70° in the morning, and seldom reaches 80° at noon; and during the prevalence of the strong north winds in the winter months, in fome very high fituations the thermometer is often as low as from 50° to 55° in the morning, which renders the ufe of fires not only agreeable, but effentially neceffary.-The difference of heat is alfo very confiderable in the morning at this feafon of the year in the towns and on the plains, although, in the middle of the day, the variation is not in the fame proportion. The hottest time is from the first of June till October, when the wind blows from the fouth east, accompanied occasionally with showers, although in the lowlands, (particularly in the parish of Vere,) adjoining the fea coaft on the fouth fide, in fome years there is not a drop of rain falls for many weeks; fo that vegetation entirely ceases, and the sugar canes are burned to their roots. This is the cause of the extreme irregularity of crops in that district: an eftate, which after favourable rains yields from four to five hundred hogfheads of fugar in one crop, in fome other years does not make a pound. In this island, as well as over the whole of the Weft Indies, there is a regular fea breeze, without which, the towns and lowlands would not be habitable. The uniformity of this breeze is known to be influenced by the fun; it following his courfe daily from east to west. In Jamaica, it usually fets in from eight to nine o'clock in the morning, increafes as the fun approaches the meridian,

This island is about 170 miles in length and 60 broad, and is fituated between 17° 44′ and 18° 34' north latitude and 75°55′ and 78° 48′ weft longitude.

and then gradually dies away as he reaches the horizon; being afterwards fucceeded by what is termed the land `wind, which blows during the night from the mountains to the lowlands in all directions.

It is to be obferved that in fuch of the West India islands as are of small extent and level, the fea breeze continues during the whole of the night. In the lowlands of Jamaica, particularly between Kingston and Spanish town, there are many fwamps and lagoons which form ample fources of disease; the vicinity of these places, is, however, more or lefs fickly as they are or are not cleared of wood, and exposed to the action of the fun.

In the middle of the island where there are large tracts of fwampy land covered with high woods, and confequently impervious to the action of the fun, the endemic is feldom known. As a teftimony of this, there is a district, known by the name of Sandy River, fituated in the most remote part of the parish of Clarendon, and adjoining St. Ann's, where feveral very productive coffee plantations have been, during the last ten years, established, and where, in the space of a mile, five or fix white families, with feveral hundred negroes refide; and although contiguous to thefe plantations there are large tracts of swampy land to the extent of fome miles, yet, as they are covered with high woods, and confequently fhielded from the action of the fun, both the whites and negroes in the vicinity, enjoy the most uninterrupted state of health; so that for fwamps to conftitute the fource of disease, they must be previously acted upon by heat. In the mountainous parts of Jamaica, a prodigious quantity of rain falls in the course of the year, and more particularly in the months of May and October, when the rains are general all over the island. This, neceffarily renders June and November the most fickly feasons of the year; and, as the fatality of the endemic at these times is exactly in proportion to the quantity of rain fallen, and the degree of fubfequent heat; the rains in October continuing longer than thofe in May, the remittents in November, in geVOL. I. A a

neral assume a worse type than thofe in June.-During the continuance of the rains there is feldom much fickness, except, occafionally pleuritic and other inflammatory complaints among the negroes and it is not till the extreme heat has concentrated the marshy miafmata to that degree, which, in constitutions not affimilated to the climate, is productive of the worst species of the endemic, that ficknefs becomes general. The robuft inhabitants being then affected with remittents; while dyfentery, intermittents, diarrhoea, and hepatitis, attack thofe of a more relaxed habit. These are all modifications of the fame endemic, occafioned by difference of constitution only, and not by any difference in the miafma. The period of the year moft healthy, is from the firft of December till April: during this time, the cold north wind blows, the atmosphere is clear, and the effects of the autumnal rains having ceafed, thofe, who have fuffered from indisposition during the month of November, begin to recover, and by March are entirely restored to health. The cold in the mornings during the prevalence of the north winds, is, in the mountains particularly fharp and piercing; and the ufe of flannel next the fkin, is, especially to fuch perfons as are much relaxed either by the climate, or by sickness, extremely neceffary. Indeed the tranfitions from heat to cold in this climate are fo fudden, that those who have ever been fubject to hepatic or other vifceral obftructions, would do well to make a flannel or calico shirt a regular part of their drefs at all times of the year. It is unnecessary to observe, that if an European can make his election of the time of arriving in a tropical country, during the early part of January, or in December, is the proper feafon; as, before the recurrence of the fubfequent fummer heat, he will be in fome measure, affimilated to the climate; and fhould he arrive at any other period of the year, a refidence for a few months in the mountains, would be extremely beneficial: however, let his prudence or precaution be what it may, he must expect, fooner or later, a seasoning fever: to protract the time of its approach, is, however, a matter of great moment, as the longer

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