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Ordinary Meeting, November 27th, 1860. 

 Dr. J. P. Joule, President, in the Chair. 



A Paper by Thomas Moffat, M.D., F.G.S., F.R.A.S., 

 «' On the prevalence of certain forms of disease in connection 

 with Hail and Snow Showers, and the Electric condition of 

 the Atmosphere," was communicated by Mr. Binney. 



In 1852, while deducing results from the meteorological 

 observations of the two previous years, the Author observed 

 that an intimate connexion existed between falls of snow and 

 hail and diseases of the nervous centres, such as apoplexy, 

 epilepsy, paralysis, and vertigo ; and the results of eight more 

 years bear out the truth of the observation. 



A table formed from two hundred and thirty-six cases of 

 the above diseases, and upwards of one thousand observations 

 of the electrometer, is given, showing the per centage of hail 

 and snow showers, the cases of diseases of the nervous centres, 

 and the times that the air was positive and negative with 

 each wind. From this table it appears that with the wind 

 from the N., N.E., E., and S.E. points, which the Author 

 calls the snow points, the per centage of hail and snow 

 showers is 23*2 ; of cases of apoplexy, &c., 36*7 ; of positive 

 electricity, 27*0; and of negative electricity, 34-1; while with 

 the wind from the hail points, S., S.W., W., and N.W., the 

 per centages are respectively 76'6, 65*7, 72*6, and 67*5, thus 

 showing that the number of cases of disease increases with 

 the frequency of hail and snow showers and the consequently 

 Proceedings— Lit. & Phil. Society— No. 5.— Session, 1860-61. 



