REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE. Observations on the Topography, Climate, and Diseases of Eastern Indiana, by DR. HARDING. THE district of country forming the eastern boundry of the State of Indiana, and embracing a mean width of fifty miles, lies between 39° 25' and 40° 20' North Latitude. It is the most elevated portion of the State, having a general elevation above the level of the sea of about 800 feet, and about 400 feet above the Ohio River, throughout the extent that it forms the south-eastern boundry of the State. The streams falling into the Ohio, have more velocity than those falling into the Wabash and the minor Rivers of the State. Many of the tributaries of the Ohio, in consequence of their velocity and composition of the soil and strata through which they pass, have cut deep channels, leaving high and bluff banks on either side; their alluvium is often extensive, and subject to inundation at vairious seasons of the year. This liability is much increased in consequence of the elevated and uneven surface of the country bordering on the Ohio, thereby furrowing a rapid descent and accumulation of water from rain and other sources. The whole of eastern Indiana is underlaid by the blue fossilliferous limestone, abundantly rich in organic remains, mostly of marine origin, rendering it certain that the quarter part of the State, during some period of the earth's history must have formed the bed of the ocean. Clay is found to predominate in the soil of the counties of Jennings, Bartholomew, Decatur, Shelby, Johnson, Marion, and the more northeastern tier of counties, while that of Jefferson, Switzerland, Dearborn, Ripley, Franklin, and parts of Rush and Decatur, being formed upon alternating strata of clay and limestone, necessarily partake chiefly of these two earths. I am indebted to my intelligent friend, Dr. V. Kersey, of Milton, Wayne county, Indiana, for the following topographical history of Wayne, Union, Fayette, and Rush counties, which may be received as a very correct topographical history of eastern Indiana: "Wayne, Henry, Union, Fayette, and Rush, adjoining counties, lie in the eastern part of the State, between 39° 30' and 40° 5' North Latitude, and have a general elevation above the sea, of about 800 feet; about 400 feet above the Ohio river, in a southern direction; and about 225 feet above the surface of Lake Michigan. The face of the country, though generally rather level, presents an agreeable diversity of plains, undulations, and somewhat rugged hills. These latter are rare, and generally found bordering the larger streams. The rolling lands constitute a large proportion of the district, lying between, and at some distance from the streams. The plains, or bottom lands, are extensive and of three distinct grades ; the first are narrow, quite low, seamed with bayous, often submerged, and beset with pools of stagnant water; the second are extensive, more elevated, rarely inundated, and highly valued for cultivation; the third consists of extensive tracts of table lands, in several portions of the district quite out of reach of high water, yet resembling in appearance, in fertility and in geological structure, the strictly bottom lands. Such are the walnut level and some other similar tracts. Between the streams, especially the smaller ones, instead of rising into prominent ridges, it is common for the undulations to become less and less distinct, and finally to merge into extensive flats. These elevated flats, owing to their composition, which is largely argillaceous, are the wettest lands of the country. In the primitive State, while they were shaded by an unbroken forest, matted with undergrowth, crossed in every direction, and incessantly damed by the trunks of decaying trees, evaporation was obstructed, and drainage was out of the question; and it was even doubted whether such lands could be successfully cultivated. This whole district, with a trifling exception, (in Prairie Township, Henry county,) was once heavily timbered; but is now generally cleared and in cultivation, except what is reserved for timber; evaporation and drainage are thus greatly facilitated, and it is found that under proper culture, the wettest flats become profitable farming lands. "The distribution of water in this portion of the State is remarkably uniform. There are no lakes, but few prominent ponds, and a larger number of basins, or sinks, containing water only a portion of the year. The country as a whole, has a gentle inclination to the south, and is drained by a succession of small streams. These mostly originate in the ex tensive upland flats of the adjoining counties on the North, constitute the numerous primary branches of Whitewater, Flatrock, and Blue river, and run nearly parallell in a Southern direction, affording ample water power, and adding greatly to the convenience and beauty of the country. The rolling and bottom lands are abundantly supplied with spring water; which is clear, cold, and pure, except that it holds in solution more or less lime, and in some locations iron and other minerals. Good water is readily obtained by digging wells, and on this account they are extremely common. Whitewater valley Canal runs through the district from North to South. The geology of this district is equally simple with its other features. It is one of those locations in which many of the groups of rock which usually constitute the solid crust of the globe are wanting. The drift is deposited directly on the Silurian system, without the intervention of the Devonian, Carboniferous, Secondary, and Tertiary formations. The animal remains of immensely distant ages are thus brought into juxtaposition; those of the protozoic and heterozoic, the acephalopodiferous and fragmentiferous periods are brought together. The blue fossiliferous limestone formation, which immediately underlies the drift almost throughout the district, is elevated into an anticlinal axis, very nearly corresponding with the State line east of this, from which it makes a gentle dip both east and west, and is overlaid within the two States by cliff rock, coal fields and other formations. The limestone is, however, in most places quite out of reach beneath an immense drift; which, owing to our remoteness from mountain ranges, is composed of detritus from almost every species of rock, both crystalline and stratified, and of every grade of fineness from unpalpable dust to the ponderous bowlder. It has already been stated that the soil of the elevated flats is largely argil laceous; there is however a mixture of sand and gravel, in which lime is a predominent ingredient; and it is more or less enriched by animal and vegetable matters. In the rolling lands there is generally less clay, more sand, and in many places extensive beds of gravel and sand, a few feet below the surface. This latter is the common characteristic of the bottom lands, which usually consist of a rich alluvial and largely vegetable soil, deposited on irregular strata of gravel and sand, hence these lands soon dry by percolation. "The district in question contains about 1,500 square miles, and a population of 90,000, or 60 to the square mile. These are Anglo-Saxon, except a few hundred negroes and mulattoes, and mostly live a country life; large towns being rare, while villages and small towns are numerous, and mostly situated on or very near the streams. The winter of 1851-2 was remarkable for low temperature, and abundance of snow. The following spring was mostly rather cool, with frequent light showers, and a great many cloudy days. On the 20th and 21st of April a severe and destructive frost. The fore part of summer was mostly warm and showery, the latter part hot and dry. August was remarkably cool, and without rain till the 20th; Vegetation suffered greatly from the drought. From the 20th of August the weather was remarkably fine, and light showers were fre quent till the 10th of November, when a slight snow occurred, and rain and snow were frequent throughout the month, which was unusually mild for the season. In December, rain was more abundant than for several years. On the 23d it was heavy and continued, beginning from the south-east and closing from the south-west, with a temperature of 63 degrees, at 10 P. M. The streams were raised to the highest stage. On the 27th a very similar rain occurred from the same quarter, and raised the streams to nearly the same height. During the summer electrical disturbance was unusually rare, cumulus clouds remarkably abundant, and frost occurred during every month of the year. The previous summer, thunder and lightning were very common, and sometimes terrific. For more than two years, heavy and protracted rains rarely occurred. The streams were at no time high; the earth was scarcely thoroughly saturated, or the ponds and bayous filled, till the great rains at the close of last year. "Some efforts have been used to ascertain the prevalence of disease in this portion of the State, from its first settlement by the whites; and it appears that periodical fever has been more or less common every year since 1806. And that protracted diarrhoea and cholera infantum were common, and often fatal diseases among children, especially during the earlier portions of this period. The Indians represented to the early white settlers that they had been able to raise but few children, on account of the general prevalence of these diseases during the hot months. "The graver forms of periodical fever were scarcely known, and the country was considered quite healthy, till about the year 1819, when both intermittent and remittent fevers became quite prevalent, and decidedly malignant. This state of things continued during the summer and autumn for three or four years. Within this period a considerable portion of the adult male inhabitants lost their lives, while women and children suffered less. The most fatal forms were billious remit tent, of the gastric variety, often attended with distinct yellowness of skin, thus closely resembling yellow fever. And another form (perhaps congestive intermittent) in which an algid condition usually supervened at an early period, and which at the time, went under the popular name of cold plague. After this the health was generally better till the cholera epedemic of 1832, which prevailed to a considerable extent in the district in question, and imparted a modifying influence to the endemic diseases, which was felt and observed for some years. From 1836 to 1839 inclusive, fevers again prevailed to a great extent, and were quite fatal. Intermittents were very common, the congestive variety frequently occurred, and often proved fatal. Billious remittent was quite prevalent, was frequently associated with an irritable condition of the stomach and bowels, had a typhoid tendency, and was often unmanageable. And besides these, typhoid fever prevailed at the same time as an epidemic, in several neighborhoods. It seemed indeed in many instances to be propagated by contagion. The cases were generally protracted to a period of from three to six weeks, and a large number of vigorous young persons of both sexes died, but it is believed a considerable majority were males. This disease was confined to no season, but was more prevalent, and more malignant, in cold than warm weather. "Fevers were quite prevalent again in 1843-4-5, but especially in 1844. This epidemic was less malignant than the preceding; a large proportion of the cases were of the intermittent form and free from dangerous complication. Where the remittent form occurred it was mostly mild, and yielded readily to treatment. Typhoid fever had a very limited prevalence during this period, and was free from epidemic and contagious characteristics. From 1846 to this time, fevers have been on the decline. No epidemic has occurred within the knowledge of the writer. The number of attacks has been greatly reduced, and the cases, of whatever type, have been quite amenable to treatment. So that a fatal case of fever, from being a very common, has become a very rare Occurrence. Diarrhoea and cholera infantum, though strictly epidemic here, are believed to be on the decline. We have cases of this kind during the hot months of every year, but they are becoming more rare, and less fatal. And they have not prevailed in the form of an epidemic for some years. "Sporadic cases of dysentery are met with every summer, and this disease has repeatedly occurred as an epidemic in several portions of the district in question. The last occur |