A Voyage to JAMAICA. 
We were now in very hot weather, which 
not only by Sweating, but by their breaking out all over into little Whaics, 
Pimples, or Puftles, (which is ordinary in other places of the fame Lati- * Great beat 
tudes.*) This befides its unfeemlineS in dife 
olouring the Skin, which was # Mono- 
very Red, was very troublefome by 
itching, and this laft fymptom was ™Otapa oc- 
chiefly about the Back Bone, though fometimes thefe reddith Puftles co- “4% Pujhes 
vered the whole Body, and at other times the to come out, 
| were as it were all ga- 
thered into one fmall Carbuncle, very uneafie ha painful, and fuch a Pitches i 
one I my {elf had, on the fide of my Hand. I did not at all doubt but i556,” 
that thefe Eruptions were the effe@ of the Sun Beams, which throwing in- 
to our blood fome fiery parts, put it into a bris 
ker motion, whereby it was 
purg’d of thofe Heterogeneous and unaccuftom’d Particles it had from the 
warm Sun, and ‘perhaps by that fermentation was likewife clear'd of fome 
other parts might be hurtful to it, and therefore inftead of prefcribing a Re- 
medy for its Cure, I told thofe who importun’d me, that I thought this Diftem- 
per was the greateft advantage they could have, and that this was the effe@ of 
the change of Climate, and a proper feafoning, and what might fecure them 
from future Sicknefs by purging the Blood from hot and fharp parts, and ra- 
ther than check it, with’d them to help the expulfion with a little Flos Sul- 
phuris or any other innocent Diaphoretick. If their Humour was to be com- Of the 
plied with, Bleeding firft, and then Purging were infallible Remedies, which change: ix 
by cooling the Blood, diminifhing its quantity, and at the fame time making #4e Blood 
an irritation on the Glands in the Guts, caufes the Humour to come that way, /7™ the al- 
fo in fome meafure by artifice fupplying the natural Evacuation by the Skin. plete 
But becaufe the other was Natural, and this Artificial, and not fo certain nor ¢ wilds 
fafe, I was conftantly for the firft. Here were grounds to admire the contri- 
vance of our Blood, which, on fome occafions, fo foon as any thing de- 
fiructive to the Confltirution of it, comes into it, immediately by an Inte- 
{tine Commotion endeavours to thruft it forth, and is not only freed from 
the new Gueft, but fometimes likewife what may have lain lurking therein 
(occafioning {mall difturbances without breaking out into any violent Difea{e) 
for a great while. And from hence it comes that moft part of Medicines 
when they are duly adminiftred in fuch cafes are, not only fent out of the 
Body themfelves, but likewife great quantities of Morbific Matter, as may 
appear very plainly in Salivation, where not only the Mercury, sbut like- 
wife all’ the Humours caufing thofe dreadful Pains, Ulcets and Diforders, 
are {pit out cogether with it by the help of the Bloods Fermentation, If it 
be here objected that the Sun Beams are too fpiritual and cannot be thought 
to be fo poyfonous: [ anfwer, that it is certain the Sun Beams when concen- 
tred will do by a Burning GlafS moft, if not every thing, can be done by a 
Fire, which every Chymift knows will not only add to Lead, and fome other 
Bodies, thofe Particles that will weigh ina Balance, and that very confider- 
ably ; but likewife will make fuch a change in Mercury barely Precipitated by 
it, as to make it almoft as great a Poifonas is commonly known.. 
.. This alteration of the Climate was difcovered likewife by the very great Of other 
and fudden Putrefaction of Urine, which in fome few Hours would {tink Figns of the 
intollerably, and all other Fermenting Liquors would Sour immediately : peta 
Flefh, and all other Aliments would Corrupt and Spoil likewife in a little : 
time:, Tallow Candles would fcarce be able to land upright, and Butter 
would be of the fame Confiftence as if half melted over a Fire in England. 
itis a commonly received Opinion by fome Ingenious Men that Lice dye 
oa change of the Winds from being variable to be conftant, or pafling the 
Equator ; and. that to the South of the Tropick of Cancer are none to be = 
found, but this notion is certainly falfe ; for although I think the great Sweat- Of Lice in 
ings, and little Apparel of the Inhabitants a Travellers in the Zorrid Zone, te Tornd 
occa- “ONE 
25 
fhow’d its felf on every one, 
