﻿602 
  DR 
  DAVY 
  S 
  OBSERVATIONS 
  ON 
  FISH 
  

  

  " 
  confirmed 
  phthisis 
  and 
  of 
  haemoptysis, 
  the 
  probable 
  result 
  of 
  tuberculosis," 
  

   entered 
  in 
  the 
  register 
  of 
  the 
  Dispensary, 
  234 
  males, 
  376- 
  females, 
  whose 
  ages 
  and 
  

   occupations 
  are 
  given 
  individually, 
  the 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  four 
  only 
  were 
  of 
  fisher- 
  

   men's 
  families, 
  — 
  one 
  male 
  and 
  three 
  females, 
  — 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  ratio 
  of 
  one 
  to 
  

   163*2; 
  and 
  of 
  watermen 
  " 
  who 
  fish 
  with 
  hook 
  and 
  line, 
  when 
  other 
  work 
  is 
  

   scarce, 
  generally 
  very 
  poor, 
  and 
  of 
  habits 
  generally 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  temperate 
  or 
  

   regular," 
  the 
  number, 
  including 
  their 
  families, 
  did 
  not 
  exceed 
  eleven, 
  of 
  whom 
  

   ten 
  were 
  males, 
  one 
  a 
  female, 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  ratio 
  of 
  one 
  to 
  58 
  - 
  8. 
  The 
  entries 
  

   from 
  which 
  the 
  654 
  cases 
  are 
  extracted, 
  Dr 
  Cookworthy 
  states, 
  exceed 
  20,000. 
  

   He 
  assures 
  me, 
  that 
  had 
  he 
  taken 
  scrofula 
  in 
  all 
  its 
  forms, 
  the 
  result 
  would, 
  he 
  

   believes, 
  have 
  been 
  more 
  conclusive. 
  

  

  Such 
  a 
  degree 
  of 
  exemption 
  as 
  this 
  return 
  indicates 
  in 
  the 
  instances 
  of 
  fisher- 
  

   men 
  and 
  boatmen, 
  is 
  certainly 
  very 
  remarkable, 
  and 
  deserving 
  of 
  attention, 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  considering 
  the 
  prevalency 
  of 
  tubercular 
  consumption, 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  work- 
  

   ing 
  classes 
  generally 
  throughout 
  the 
  United 
  Kingdom, 
  but 
  also 
  amongst 
  the 
  regular 
  

   troops, 
  whether 
  serving 
  at 
  home 
  or 
  abroad, 
  and 
  having 
  an 
  allowance 
  of 
  meat 
  

   daily, 
  but 
  rarely 
  tasting 
  fish.* 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  exemption 
  be 
  mainly 
  owing 
  to 
  diet, 
  and 
  that 
  a 
  fish 
  diet, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  

   presumed 
  that 
  there 
  enters 
  into 
  the 
  composition 
  of 
  fish, 
  some 
  element 
  not 
  common 
  

   to 
  other 
  kinds 
  of 
  food, 
  whether 
  animal 
  or 
  vegetable. 
  This 
  I 
  believe 
  is 
  the 
  case, 
  

   and 
  that 
  the 
  peculiar 
  element 
  is 
  iodine. 
  

  

  I 
  may 
  briefly 
  mention, 
  that 
  in 
  every 
  instance 
  in 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  sought 
  for 
  this 
  

   substance 
  in 
  sea-fish, 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  distinct 
  traces 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  also, 
  though 
  not 
  so 
  

   strongly 
  marked, 
  in 
  the 
  migratory 
  fish, 
  but 
  not 
  in 
  fresh- 
  water 
  fi 
  sh. 
  The 
  trials 
  I 
  have 
  

   hitherto 
  made 
  have 
  been 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  following, 
  viz., 
  the 
  Red 
  Gurnet, 
  Mackerel, 
  

   Haddock, 
  Common 
  Cod, 
  Whiting, 
  Sole, 
  Ling, 
  Herring, 
  Pilchard, 
  Salmon, 
  Sea-Trout, 
  

   Smelt, 
  and 
  Trout. 
  In 
  each 
  instance, 
  from 
  about 
  a 
  quarter 
  a 
  pound 
  to 
  a 
  pound 
  offish 
  

   was 
  dried 
  and 
  charred, 
  lixiviated, 
  and 
  reduced 
  to 
  ashes, 
  which 
  were 
  again 
  washed. 
  

   From 
  the 
  sea-fish, 
  the 
  washings 
  of 
  the 
  charcoal 
  afforded 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  saline 
  

   matter 
  on 
  evaporation 
  ; 
  the 
  washings 
  of 
  the 
  ash 
  less. 
  The 
  saline 
  matter 
  from 
  

   both 
  consisted 
  principally 
  of 
  common 
  salt, 
  had 
  a 
  pretty 
  strong 
  alkaline 
  reaction 
  

   and 
  with 
  starch 
  and 
  aqua 
  regia, 
  afforded, 
  by 
  the 
  blue 
  hue 
  produced, 
  clear 
  proof 
  

   of 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  iodine. 
  In 
  the 
  instance 
  of 
  the 
  fresh-run 
  Salmon, 
  Sea-Trout, 
  

   and 
  Smelt, 
  a 
  slight 
  trace 
  of 
  iodine 
  was 
  thus 
  detected 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  spent 
  Salmon 
  de- 
  

   scending 
  to 
  the 
  sea, 
  only 
  a 
  just 
  perceptible 
  trace 
  of 
  it 
  was 
  observable, 
  and 
  not 
  a 
  

   trace 
  of 
  it 
  either 
  in 
  the 
  Parr 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  Trout. 
  

  

  That 
  iodine 
  should 
  enter 
  into 
  the 
  composition 
  of 
  sea-nsh, 
  is 
  no 
  more 
  perhaps 
  

   than 
  might 
  be 
  expected, 
  considering 
  that 
  it 
  forms 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  so 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  inhabi- 
  

  

  * 
  In 
  1205 
  fatal 
  cases, 
  not 
  selected, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  lungs 
  were 
  examined 
  at 
  the 
  General 
  Hospital, 
  

   Fort 
  Pitt, 
  Chatham, 
  tuhercles 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  exist 
  in 
  734 
  (61'7 
  per 
  cent.) 
  See 
  the 
  author's 
  "Notes 
  

   on 
  the 
  Ionian 
  Islands 
  and 
  Malta," 
  vol. 
  ii., 
  p. 
  312, 
  for 
  details. 
  

  

  