306 Notices respecfi?}g New Books. 



to the course to be pursued, and the season at wliich the journey 

 is to be taken, has therefore been very frequently experienced by 

 the patient or his family; and the physician consulted on the 

 occasion must almost as often have felt that the difficulty was 

 transferred rather than removed by the reference to him. — The 

 reason is obvious. Few even of our most travelled physicians 

 have themselves visited a sufficient number of the places usually 

 resorted to by invalids, or remained at them for a sufficient length 

 of time, to enable them to form correct opinions of their com- 

 parative merits. 



Those who have not travelled, must of course derive their in- 

 formation on the subject from occasional opportunities of convers- 

 ing with those who have, and from the incidental, necessarily in- 

 complete, and often prejudiced remarks scattered through the pages 

 of almost innumerable tourists. 



The medical character of particular places, with reference to 

 the single point of temperature alone, is under the influence of so 

 many causes, that it is notorious that very imperfect notions can 

 be formed from the mere consideration of latitude. Many tra- 

 vellers have been careful to note the height of the thermometer 

 and barometer at different places during the period of their stay; 

 but such records, though by no means to be despised, cannot give 

 an idea of the thermometric range which forms a most important 

 feature in the medical characters of climate. A prett)' good, 

 but somewhat empirical mode of judging of the character of a 

 spot, with respect to climate, consists in the examination of its 

 Flora ; but there is so much difference between the constitutions 

 of vegetables and animals, that, however desirable such observa- 

 tions may be as collateral evidence, it cannot be safe, in the selec- 

 tion of the residence of an invalid, to trust to conclusions drawn 

 from them alone. 



In the work before us. Dr. Clark has endeavoured first to point 

 out the physical characters of the climate at the different places of 

 which he treats, as drawn from meteorological registers. Of these 

 the Doctor's own researches, aided by the contributions of his 

 friends, have enabled him to collect no inconsiderable number. Still 

 it must be confessed that much remains to be done with respect to 

 this point. There are many places in which no registers have been 

 kept; and in some, imperfection in the instruments has conspired 

 with other causes to render further observation desirable. 



In the second place the author examines what has been the re- 

 sult of experience as to the effects produced by the climate; and 

 finally, from the combined results of the two preceding sources of 

 infromation, he endeavours to deduce the characteristic medicinal 

 qualities of each particular climate. 



Of a large proportion of the places noticed in the work, Dr. 

 Clark speaks from his own personal observation ; but where this 

 advantage has been wholly wanting, or but imperfectly possessed, 

 he has invariably derived his information from authentic and va- 

 luable sources. 



The 



