Bakewell’s Travels in the Tarentaise, &c. 
in the Alps are placed, higher. The 
village of Murren, above Lauterbrun, 
in the Canton of, Berne, is stated to be’ 
5466 feet above, the sea, and 2700 above 
the vale of Lauterbrun; but. it, did not 
appear to me to be so high above the 
valley, as some of these, villages near 
Brida. 
Several of the mountain villages, with 
the white spires of their churches, form 
pleasing obiects in the landscape, but on 
entering them the charm vanishes, and 
nothing can exceed the dirtiness and 
want of comfort which they present, 
except the cabins of the Irish. Yet 
habit, and. a. feeling of independence, 
which the mountain peasant enjoys 
under almost every form of government, 
makes him disregard the inconveniences 
of his situation and abode, 
The. mountain pastures, situated 
above, the. line of) cultivation, are the 
property of rich individuals in the valley, 
or belong, to, whole parishes and com- 
munes... In the former case, the pro- 
prietor has chalets.on the mountains for 
his servants, who yo there with the cattle 
soon after the snow, is melted, and remain 
in these eleyated situations during the 
summer months,being employed in taking 
care of the cows and in making cheese. 
The proprietors, visit. them. occasion- 
ally, to examine. the state of their cattle 
and dairics. When we had travelled a 
considerable way,up the valley, we met 
a party. in their holiday suits, and. their 
heads decorati:d, with Alpine flowers. 
- The party consisted of an. elderly fe- 
male, mounted on a mule, her son and 
two danghters, on, foot, and a servant 
girlon an ass. The mother, as we were 
informed, was a considerable proprietor, 
and was returning with her family from 
the monntains, where, they had. passed 
two or three days to inspect the progress 
of their dairy... I confess there was 
something peculiarly, pleasing in the 
sight of this family group: it recalled to 
mind the, simplicity ,of, the patriarchal 
age. ‘lhe young people evinced much 
hilarity; by them this visit to the moun- 
tains was evidently regarded as an ex- 
cursiop, of pleasure, The ass, in as- 
cending, giad , been, laden | with, their 
wine and provisions; for, on such, oc- 
casions, the, proprietors and. their fa- 
milies, are obliged to sleep. in the 
chalets, 
VILLARD GOITROU, 
Returning to the village of Villard 
Gojtron, we saw a number of the most 
miserable objects collected round our 
char, which was -quite a novel sight to 
them, as there is no road for a carriage 
591 
of any kind beyond this place. Villard 
Goitrou, owes its, latter appellation, to 
the goitres with, which, the inhabitants 
are Affected: perhaps, there is no other 
village in the Alps, where so large a 
proportion of the population have either 
goitres or are cretins. Both these ca- 
lamities are often united in the same 
person. 
After all that bas been written by 
eminent, medical men on the canses. of 
cretinism and goitres, the subject is 
still involved in much uncertainty and 
obscurity. It is said that the inhabi- 
, tants at the extremities of valleys are 
most liable. to -be affected with these 
complaints. This has been attributed 
to the stagnation of warm air in such 
situations ; but though Villard Goitrou 
is at the extremity ofa larger valley, two 
smaller ones open into it, which must 
produce constant currents of air. It is 
placed also on the sunny side of the 
valley, which is supposed to be less pro- 
ductive of cretins.and goitres, than the 
side whichis in the shade. Its appa- 
rently beyond the range of the calca- 
reous strata, and therefore the water is 
not likely to be charged with carbonate 
of lime, which has sometimes. been 
thought to produce goitres; there may, 
however, be gypsum on, some of the 
mountains above this village. The sur- 
geon,at Brieg, at. the foot of the Sem- 
plon, told; me, that.he attributed. the 
prevalence of, goitres and cretinism, in 
the mountain villages in the Haut, 
Vallais, to-want.of cleanliness, and to 
their sleeping:in cabins, from which the 
air was almost entirely excluded, in 
order to keep themselves warm, A de- 
ficient, or uuwholesome diet, has also 
been supposed to increase the effect. 
That none. of the causes here enume- 
rated will satisfactorily explain the origin 
of. goitres. or cretinism is obvious; for 
goitres occur where, these, causes can 
scarcely be supposed to operate in any 
sensible degree. Thus,at Geneva, though 
the streets are narrow, and the areas of 
the houses are close, yet the situation is 
dry, the air may be called salubrious, 
and the streets are kept clean. In per- 
sonal and domestic; cleanliness also, the 
Genevese are by no means deficient, yet 
they are often affected with goitres,; and 
even the children of English families who 
reside at Geneva for a short time, are not ~ 
unfrequently attacked with an enlarge-. 
ment, of the neck, or with ineipient 
goitres. 
In various parts of our own island, the 
natiyes,are affected with goitres; but it, 
is, I believe, always in hilly or moun- 
tainous 
