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Ordinary Meeting, November 27th, I860. 
Dr. J. P. Joule, President, in the Chair. 
A Paper by Thomas Moffat, M.D., F.G.S., F.R.A.S., 
“On the prevalence of certain forms of disease in connection 
with Hail and Snow Showers, and the Electric condition of 
the Atmosphere,” was communicated by Mr. Binney. 
In 1852, while deducing results from the meteorological 
observations of the two previous years, the Author observed 
that an intimate connexion existed between falls of snow and 
hail and diseases of the nervous centres, such as apoplexy, 
epilepsy, paralysis, and vertigo; and the results of eight more 
years bear out the truth of the observation. 
A table formed from two hundred and thirty-six cases of 
the above diseases, and upwards of one thousand observations 
of the electrometer, is given, showing the per centage of hail 
and snow showers, the cases of diseases of the nervous centres, 
and the times that the air was positive and negative with 
each wind. From this table it appears that with the wind 
from the N., N.E., E., and S.E. points, which the Author 
calls the snow points, the per centage of hail and snow 
showers is 23 2; of cases of apoplexy, &c., 36 7 ; of positive 
electricity, 27 0 ; and of negative electricity, 34T; while with 
the wind from the hail points, S., S.W., W., and N.W., the 
per centages are respectively 76 6, 65'7, 72-6, and 67‘5, thus 
showing that the number of cases of disease increases with 
the frequency of hail and snow showers and the consequently 
Proceedings — Lit. & Phil. Society.— No. 5. — Session, 1860-61. 
