Section of Medical Science. 61 
reaction, is followed by the more permanent reaction of inflamma- 
tion, causing a number of new phenomena. 
With regard to the effect of cold on the skin, which is the most 
important of all, it is evident that meteorology has contributed very 
little to our knowledge of the influences of the atmosphere on health 
or disease. It has appeared to the Author, that in order to connect this 
science with utility, as far as mankind is concerned, one considera- 
tion has been omitted, which is, the cooling power of the atmosphere 
estimated with reference to ourselves. The human body has a heat 
of nearly 98°, and is placed in a medium always cooler than itself. 
The degree of cooling influence exerted on it has never been made 
the subject of measurement, and to the present time is estimated 
solely by the feelings. In order to measure the cooling influences 
of the air or other media, Dr. Osborne used a spirit thermometer, 
without a frame, carefully graduated from the degree 90 to 80 in- 
clusive, that being nearly the temperature of the exterior of the body. 
Having heated the bulb to 90°, he exposed it in different situations, 
observing the time during which the spirit descended from 90° to 80°; 
and adopting, as a measure of the refrigerating power, the rate of 
cooling deduced. And by this contrivance is exhibited the result 
of radiation, and of the conducting power of the atmosphere as 
modified by its temperature, its density, its moisture, and its cur- 
rents; and that result, the most interesting of all to the invalid, 
who, in respect to temperature, may be conceived as represented 
by the instrument. As the variety in the shape of the bulb, the 
bore of the tube, the thickness of the glass, or the density and 
quantity of the fluid employed will cause variety in the time of the 
descent, the result obtained with two thermometers must not be ex- 
pected exactly to correspond. In order to procure uniformity for 
this purpose, it will be necessary to place a number of them, pre- 
viously graduated between 90° and 80° and heated to 90°, in air at 
60° or 50°, and to select those which contract according to the time 
fixed on as a standard. The thermometer so applied, Dr. Osborne 
proposes to call a psychometer, or measurer of refrigeration. 
Amongst the observations brought forward by him to illustrate 
its use are the following: 
To show the refrigerating effect of agitation or of a breeze, the 
temperature of the air remaining the same. 
In air, temp. 70° at rest, it cooled from 90° to 80° in 5™ 208. 
in a slight, breezes... sas. danssbeosr cn UUZ™ 508, 
blown on with a bellows ............in 58%. 
These observations show the fallacy of determining climate by 
the thermometer. ‘There are situations in which, owing to constant 
currents of air, a cold is produced of the utmost consequence to 
health, but not appreciable by the thermometer. Dr. Osborne ex- 
pects that by means of this mode of observation much light may be 
thrown on the climates of the western coast of Africa, and of other 
unhealthy localities. The meteorological tables at present kept in 
those places fail in showing the effect of the sea and land breezes. 
The following shows the refrigerating power of water above air 
of the same temperature, at rest, to be above 14 to 1. 
