INSANITY SCROFULA CONSUMPTION. 269 



sources, not only of rheumatism, but of fever and palsy, 

 among his majesty's and the company's troops. 



It is, we should imagine, scarcely necessary to observe 

 how baneful the climate of the East is for those who have 

 any tendency to mental derangement. Perhaps no cause 

 has excited complaints of this nature oftener than inordinate 

 heat. This is particularly noticed by Pinel, in his admirable 

 work on insanity. Cox, an Enghsh writer on the same 

 disease, and Dr. Arnot, have fully verified the correctness 

 of the distinguished Frenchman's assertion ; and we feel 

 concerned to say that we witnessed too many deplorable 

 instances of madness among the troops on the Coromandel 

 coast to have any doubts on the subject. It may be further 

 remarked, that the operation of great heat is, in this instance, 

 increased tenfold by a frequent use of mercurial medicines, 

 which are, in our humble opinion, little short of a poison m 

 those maladies commonly termed nervous. 



But, perhaps, of all disorders, that to which the climate 

 of India proves most ungenial is scrofula. No young man 

 •with an hereditary tendency to this complaint should on any 

 account be sent to India, where we have never known one 

 individual with the malady in his habit who enjoyed tolerable 

 health for ten months together. Soldiers so tainted are 

 fit for nothincT but lumbering up an hospital ; and, for the 

 most part, after lingering a few years, burdens to themselves 

 and to their regiments, they fall a prey to the most frightful 

 and ravafxing ulcers. How this baneful effect of a hot 

 climate uoon persons so unfortunately predisposed is to be 

 accounted for it may be difficult to say, as the state of dark- 

 ness in which we have so long wandered, regarding the 

 proxunate cause of affections of this nature, leaves us little 

 more than a conjecture. One thing is certain, that as laxity 

 of the solids and a general deficiency of bodily vigour are 

 known to be the constant concomitants of the complaint, 

 such a condition will be greatly increased by extreme heat, 

 which enervates in no common degree. 



As to the benefit or bad consequences of a residence in 

 India to such as have a predisposition to consumpltoru, an 

 opinion cannot be given with too much caution ; as far as 

 enlisting recruits for our foreign dominions goes, it is cer- 

 tainly wise to take no person whatever of doubtful stamina. 

 It is an ascertained fact, that although the malady in ques- 



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