242 THE CHEMISTRY OF CREATION. 



not the only victim in the case. There is no 

 doubt, therefore, that the negligence of all 

 classes of society, rich and poor, entails the most 

 terrible calamities on both. The poor man may 

 not, with impunity, live on in a state of dis- 

 gusting and unnecessary filth and dirt. Neither, 

 on the other hand, may the rich, with impunity, 

 neglect the sanitary and physical condition of 

 the poor that crowd around his mansion. It 

 has been well ordered thus, that no man may 

 be so much occupied with his own things, but 

 that each should look upon his brother's; and 

 where, in a simple scientific view of the ques- 

 tion, this is the case, there the best possible 

 human security exists against the invasion of the 

 most formidable and desolating diseases. 



While upon this subject, it may be interesting 

 to mention some particulars upon the supposed 

 nature of what is considered by many to be a 

 disease of aerial origin Asiatic cholera. In 

 so doing, we shall merely state a few facts, or 

 content ourselves with simply alluding to dif- 

 ferent theories. For some years Dr. Prout 

 had been investigating the chemistr^ of the 

 atmosphere, and for more than six weeks before 

 this awful malady made its appearance in the 

 metropolis, in 1832, he had been engaged 

 almost every day in endeavouring to determine, 

 with the greatest possible accuracy, the weight 



