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Í believe that this is not fo mucli
owing to the climate as to the manner
of life and diet. People whofe continual
occupation is hilling, are night
and day expofed to wet and cold, frequently
feed upon corrupted rotten
fiili, fifh livers and roe, fat and train
of whales, and fea-dogs ; as likewife
congealed and ftale four milk : they
often wear wet cloaths, and are commonly
expofed to all the hardihips of
poverty. The greater number of
thefe are therefore to be met with ill
this clafs : on the contrary, where lefs
fiili and four whey are eateil, and moré
Icelandic mofs (lichen lilandicus) and
other vegetables, this difeafe is not fo
prevalent, according to an obfervation
made by Mr. Peterfen in the above^
mentioned Tranfaclions.
We have a very remarkable inftance
of the great effecls o f diet on the difeafes
of a nation, in the inhabitants o f
the iftes of Ferro. Since fifhing has declined
among them, and the inhabitants
have cultivated corn, and live upon
other food inftead o f whale’s flefli and
bacon.
bacon, the elephantiafis has intirely
ceafed among them, according to Mr.
Peterfen’s account. Things bore a very
different afpeél tliere ten years before
this alteration : as a proof, I will quote
Mr. Debe’s own words from the firft
volume o f the Aél. Hafn. pag. 98.
Elephantiafis in infulis Ferroenfibus
frequens ex viélu et aere, has habet
notas ; facies et artus hie fere ubique
foedantur tumoribus plumbei coloris,
qui exulcerantur foeclum iu modum.
Rauci funt hoc morbo infeéli, et per
nares vocem cmittentes. Vere ct au-
tumno invalefceiis morbus plurimos
enecat.
Experience likewife teaches us, that
the greater number o f perfons labouring
under this diforder in our country
reiide near the fea-fliore, in the dif-
triifts of Abo and Oefterbottn, and in
the ifles fcattered round the iliore,
who in cenerai O O2;et their livelihood
by fiihing and catching fea-dogs :
from what has been fiiid before it
may be learnt what is proper to be
done gradually to remove this de-
ftruclive difeafe. But I will referve
X 4 for