N. MATERIA MEDICA, THERAPEUTICS, AKD HYGIENE.5C3 



advance were situated at right angles to all places attacked 

 at the same time by a southwest advance. The author also 

 states that Europe is liable to attacks from two great sources, 

 India and Arabia, and thinks that the continent will certain- 

 ly be visited by streams from both during the present year. 

 He explains the curious case of ships being suddenly at- 

 tacked at sea by cholera by the supposition that at the time 

 in question they come within the influence of the cholera 

 stream, and he endeavors to show that all the places hith- 

 erto recorded as unafflicted with cholera lie outside of this 

 stream. 



He goes on still further to argue that cholera is intimately 

 connected with auroral displays and solar disturbances, and 

 that there is an essential relationship between the maxima 

 and minima of cholera epidemics and of solar spots. The sun- 

 spot period is now established at 11.11 years, and cholera ep- 

 idemics, he thinks, have a period equal to one and a half of 

 those of the sun-spot periods. He is not prepared to say that 

 sun spots originate cholera, since both may be the effect of 

 the same cause, possibly acting upon the earth and upon the 

 sun. He thinks that each planet, in coming to and going 

 from perihelion (more especially about the time of the equi- 

 noxes), produces a violent action upon the sun, and has a vio- 

 lent sympathetic action produced within itself internally 

 manifested by earthquakes, and externally by auroral displays 

 and volcanic eruptions, such as that of Vesuvius at the pres- 

 ent moment ; in fact, just such an action as develops the tail 

 of a comet when it is coming to and going from perihelion ; 

 and when two or more planets happen to be coming to or go- 

 ing from perihelion at the same time, and are in, or nearly in 

 the same line with the sun being, of course, nearly in the 

 same plane the combined violent action produces a maxi- 

 mum of sun spots, and, in connection with it, a maximum of 

 cholera on the earth. The number of deaths from cholera in 

 any year (for example, the deaths in Calcutta during the six 

 years lSGo-TO) increased as the earth passed from perihel- 

 ion, especially after March 21, came to a minimum when 

 it was in aphelion, and increased again when it passed to 

 perihelion, and notably after equinoctial day. 12 A^JSIay 9, 

 1872,20. 



