Producti(m and Propagatioit of Malaria. 10^ 



the character of the work is, that it contains the only regular 

 and complete attempt at the natural history of Malaria that 

 has been executed ; since the several foreign writings on this 

 subject are partial, or imperfect, or local in their investi- 

 gations ; and having said thus much, we shall proceed to give 

 a brief analysis of its form and matter. And this analysis 

 may be truly brief, without inconvenience ; since the two 

 Essays from the pen of the author, to which we have given 

 a place in our Journal, will supersede the necessity of mak- 

 ing that useful and practical abstract which we should othei;- 

 wise have felt ourselves bound to give. 



To pass over an introductory chapter of the usual neces^ 

 sity, the author commences by pointing out the several dis- 

 orders, in a general way, which are produced by malaria, fop 

 the purpose of proving the sources of this poison ; and as we 

 are of those who take the facts as already proved, we need 

 not notice it further. 



The third chapter details the characters of those soils or 

 situations which are most commonly or generally admitted to 

 produce this poison: and though it contains some facts not 

 very universally known, we shall also pass it over as of less 

 moment than that which follows. 



This is the fourth chapter, containing the details of the 

 circumstances producing malaria, which have been eithei* 

 .denied or overlooked ; and it is one of the most important 

 practical chapters in the book, inasmuch as it is to the po- 

 pular ignorance of these that we must attribute a large pro- 

 portion of the cases of fever occurring in common life. 

 These, therefore, vve shall mark briefly ; and even the briefest 

 notice will be of use in the way of precaution, while we 

 must refer to the book itself for those proofs of the truth of 

 the several views which we could not take room to give. 

 Generally, however, we may state this leading argument of 

 ,the author, because it is brief, and, to us, appears satisfac- 

 .tory. : It is this : that as the quantity of the poison which 

 any person can inspire is necessarily small, and as this small 

 quantity can be produced by a small marshy spot as well as 

 a large one, it is the same, as to the production of disease, 

 whether the marsh is a foot square or a mile, provided the 

 exposure be complete : while also, any piece of ground where 

 vegetables decompose under the action of water, is virtually 

 a marsh, or must produce malaria. 



. This enumeration, therefore, under that view, comprises, 

 .in addition to marshes, whether fresh or salt, all the cases 

 where water is present in such a manner as to act upon vege- 

 tables ; and the chief are the follp^ng. 



