N ATU RAL 
quantities of animal and vegetable 
fubftances to putrify, and give out 
this mephitis, which, not being dif- 
perfed by the winds, fits the atmof- 
phere to continue this difeafe when- 
ever it begins, or perhaps begets the 
difeafe itfelf. Growing vegetables 
are, during the day-time, found to 
purify the at:nofphere, efpecially in 
the fun (fee Ingenhauzen’s Experi- 
ments); by giving out empyreal air 
in great quantities during the night- 
time, perhaps they abforb it, as ma- 
ny tender people cannot fleep with 
them in their bed-rooms. We have 
had inftances of whole iflands be- 
coming uninhabitable, from the 
cutting down of the wood. The 
Dutch, who wanted to enhance the 
price of cloves in the Eaft Indies, 
cut down all the clove-trees in the 
ifland of Ternati, and the place be- 
came almoft uninhabitable from its 
unhealthinefs. From the fame prin- 
ciple plagues have followed after 
great battles, and where the flain 
haveremained unburied. The plague 
is never known to continue long, 
but under fome particular conftitu- 
tion of the atmofphere; and this 
muft have been the cafe when it 
rofe, in the kingdom of Cathay as 
from the ground, in the form of a 
mineral exhalation, and continued 
its horrible defolation through all 
Europe. The porters who were 
employed in opening the bale goods 
in the Lazaretta at Marfeilles were 
killed by the infection of the plague 
as from a ftroke of lightning. The 
plague terminates like the fmail- 
pox, the matter being thrown out 
upon the fin; while in other fe- 
vers it is thrown out in large phleg- 
mons in various parts of the body. 
We have no way of accounting for 
why the fmall-pox fliould often be 
endemic, and of a more malignant 
HISTORY. 497 
nature at one time than at other 
times, unlefs by fuppofing the con- 
ftitution of the air to have the pow- 
er of altering the habit of body, fo 
as to render it more liable to receive 
the infection, and confequently lefs 
able to throw it off; therefore, chil- 
dren fhould be inoculated on the 
firft appearance of the difeafe, or 
before their conftitutions have fuf- 
fered from the ftate of the atmef- 
phere. 
The azote, under fome particu- 
lar modification, may be the caufe 
of hydrophobia in dogs: they are 
ever fond of eating, and haunting 
about places where there are animal 
fubftances in a ftate of putrefaétion. 
Dogs are found to perfpire little or 
not at all by the fkin; therefore the 
difeafe, not being able to terminate 
itfelf that way, is carried to the fali- 
vary glands, and inflames them to 
fuch a degree of irritability, that 
when the animal, parched up with 
thirft, attempts to drink, by the ir- 
ritation of the water it is thrown in- 
to violent convulfions: and, from: 
the remembrance of the acute pain, 
it ever after turns from it with hor- 
ror: hence the difeafe takes its 
name. The animal, as if actuated 
by nature, fets out a running, and 
generally continues till itdrops down 
dead, before the difeafe is thrown 
off by the glands or other evacua- 
tion, 
If the fting of the tarantula was 
ever cured by mufic, it was certain- 
ly by the mufic exciting the perfon 
to get up and dance till he was co- 
vered with fweat. Under the fame 
principle, fome modification of this 
fubftance may conttitute the vene- 
real virus. 
This fubje& being fufficiently 
known, might affift us in finding out 
by experiment fome remedy in na- 
ture, 
