Medical sketches of the expedition to China / by Alexander Grant.

  • Grant, Alexander, 1947-
Date:
[1845]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical sketches of the expedition to China / by Alexander Grant. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    and food, and in the wide diffusion of a common education, that equal if they do not in some particulars sur- pass, the most civilized nations of Europe; mbreover, being without pre- judice, and possessing much kindly feeling, they are ready to meet us mox-e than half w'ay in that social communion from which we are almost completely debarred among our fellow- subjects in India. The Chinese are happy to see us in their homes, to sit at the same board, to partake of the same food, to pledge us in the wine cup ; while the ease and grace of a Chinese gentleman fit him for whatever society into which he may be thrown. Climate.—Like all great continents, China presents the extremes of heat and cold in their most trying forms. The winds obey the laws which regu- late the monsoons, and the seasons are again much dependent upon these. In the southern parts the hot wea- ther commences in May, when the days and nights become close and sultry, the atmosphere is loaded with moisture, and heavy rains are not un- frequent. During June, July, Au- gust, and September the heat is very oppressive, and unrelieved by either land or sea breezes, the thermometer attains in the shade to the height of 90° and 94°, while the nights are peculiarly close, and sleep is either difficult or unrefreshing. It is du- ring these months that the hurricanes called typhoons do always occur ; they are generally preceded by light east- erly winds, and very hot weather, and set in with heavy squalls from the north-west, accompanied by thun- der, lightning and rain; from the north-west, the wind moves round to the east, and in the course of 8 or 12 hours the gale begins to draw off as the wind reaches the west of the south point. Two of these hurricanes occurred in July, 1841, and occasioned much de- struction of life and property. Their motion has been proved by observa- tions at several points, to be circular, and their influence very confined, they rarely if ever extend Ireyond the 30th degree of North Latitude. Du- ring the early part of October the nights begin to be cool, and norther- ly winds set in, frequently veering, how’ever, to the south point, when the heat becomes much increased, and the variations are greatest, amounting often to 20 and 24 degrees in the course of a day. The month of No- vember is less variable, and during December, January, and February the wind continues pretty steadily at north, with cool clear weather; and when the wind is high the tempera- ture is cold and bracing, although it rarely if ever freezes. In the north again the hot weather commences early in July and terminates in Sep- tember, extending over rather less than three months; the weather is rather humid than dry, heavy rains, morning fogs, and night dews are frequent, while there is an attendant languor and lassitude from which all Europeans suffer more or less. Nor- therly winds set in early in October, and during the five subsequent months the north of China possesses a climate even superior to that of a European winter; the sky is generally clear, the frost keen, the LuUs often covered with snow, and the canals frozen over. The thermometer falls occa- sionally as low as 18°, and even this degree of cold is not found disagree- able unless when the individual is exposed to the strong and penetra- ting northerly blasts which sweep down the valleys The months of April, May, and June are temperate, and exposure and exercise in the open air may be un- dergone with impunity. It is this long and grateful winter, followed by a temperate spring, which com- jdetely sets up the constitution after the relaxation and suffering of the short but unhealthy summer, and from this cause it was that the sick left at Chusau at the close of the