Brazil.-- When I first visited the coast of this country in 1831 I found it very hot, not unhealthy, but -with occasional bilious fevers. However, some years afterwards yellow fever made its appearance, supposed to have come from the West Indies, and has continued at intervals. Cholera also visited Brazil.
The Guayanas and Venezuela have their share of intermittent, bilious, and occasionally a little yellow fever.
Climate.-The reason why great groups of humanity, as the whites, blacks, orientals, and red men of the New World enjoy general good health in their own country, is that each group has its own climate, and that their organisation is peculiarly fitted for the satisfactory assimilation of the air they breathe, the food they eat, and other personal arrangements. However, when the white man goes to the country of the black or oriental, he soon discovers they are not congenial to him, to say nothing of the local diseases new and ofttimes fatal to him. Take the negro from his tropical lands to high northern or southern latitudes, he declines and dies before his time. Take the red man away from America, he soon pines, particularly in the climate of Europe ; he is prone to European diseases, as small-pox, measles, hooping-cough, etc.; he might do better in Polynesia and India on the score of climate, but he must have no laborious occupation. Then what is the conclusion we are to arrive at ? Namely, that each great section of mankind thrives only in their own particular climate ; take them to another and the result is unsatisfactory.
Idiocy amoks Indians.-I do not recollect having ever seen or heard of idiocy or insanity among the Indians, either in North or South America. There is, on the other hand, idiocy among the white descendants of the conquerors, and in some cities more than others, insanity is observed.
Mr. Reddie stated in his paper to this Society on Anthropological Desiderata, read in February last, that idiocy was unknown among the negroes of Africa.
The President, in proposing the thanks of the meeting to Mr. Bollaert, observed that the subject of the paper was one of great importance. It was Mr. Bollaert's opinion that there was no trustworthy evidence to prove that syphilis had been introduced into Europe from the New World. For his own part, he was not satisfied with the evidence brought forward, and he thought that further evidence ought to be sought for and adduced, not only with regard to the introduction of syphilis but to some other contagious diseases. The question was not to be settled by the authorities of ancient writers, but he conceived that much light might be thrown on it by archaeological discoveries. In no ancient skull that he was aware of had there been found any trace of syphilis, but it was easily discoverable in many modern skulls, the bone of the skull or the teeth being more or less affected by the disease. The question appeared to be in a very unsatisfactory state. They could form no judgment respecting it from the statements of old authors that had been brought forward, and he thought they must leave the matter to be elucidated by further discovery. They might, perhaps, arrive at some satisfactory result by the examination of ancient skulls, for if marks of the disease could be found on skulls of persons who died before the discovery of America, such evidence would be conclusive. In the examination of most modern skulls of soldiers it had been ascertained that there was scarcely one skull of men who died in the army that was not affected by syphilis, and some were in a frightful state. Even some of the beautifully white prepared skulls on the table, which had been presented to the Society by Professor Hyrtl, showed marks of the disease. The President inquired whether any member then present knew of any ancient skull that had indications of syphilis.
Mr. Caetek Blake stated that about two years ago a skull was submitted to him, which was absurdly alleged to be the skull of Richard III, but it proved to be the skull of a female, and exhibited symptoms of having been affected with syphilis. The skull was said to have been associated with bones of the extinct Bos primiffenhis, but that sort of evidence was of a very doubtful kind. That was the only skull of reputed antiquity in which he had observed traces of syphilis.
Mr. St. Claik observed, in reference to the contradictory statements of the origin of the disease-Europeans and Americans reciprocally asserting that it was derived from the other-that it might probably have sprung from the mixture of people very dissimilar to each other. If that were so, the contradictory evidence mentioned in the paper might be reconciled; otherwise it seemed impossible to understand how those contradictory reports could have arisen.
Mr. Pike said there was one hypothesis of the origin of the disease which had not been suggested. It was well known that the alchemists of the middle ages introduced mercurial remedies in medical practice as cures for many diseases. Basil Valentine was one of those who had introduced such remedies. It seemed very possible, therefore, that the severe symptoms of syphilis which became known about the period of the discovery of the New World might have resulted from the application of those strong remedies. Persons afflicted with the disease aggravated by that mode of treatment, might attribute it to importation from America; the disease being in fact generated by uncleanly habits and by the use. of mercury combined. Typhus was said to have been generated in a similar manner, and to have been afterwards communicated; and he thought that syphilis might have originated and been communicated in the same way.
Dr. Turle thought that few medical men would adopt the idea that the application of mercury could have been the cause of syphilis. There could be no doubt, indeed, that mercury greatly aggravated the symptoms, but it could not have produced them. There was unquestionably a greater preponderance of the disease in modern times than in former periods, which would to some degree countenance the opinion that it had been introduced from America; but he thought it could scarcely be doubted that it existed in Europe before the discovery of the New World.
Sir Charles Nicholson noticed the supposed traditions among the Indians which it was conceived indicated the existence of the disease among them. As regarded the Mexicans, it might be observed that as they possessed no written language, no importance could be attached to any such statement respecting them. It was asserted that they practised phallic worship, and that that worship was connected with the disease of syphilis. He was not aware, however, that there was any evidence to prove the existence of phallic worship among the Indians of South America. One argument in support of the opinion that the disease first assumed a specific character at the end of the 15th century was, that no indication of it was to be found in the literature of the East, which it might he assumed would have been the case had the disease been known. The phallic worship among the Hindoos was not of the sensual character commonly supposed. It was connected with profound philosophy, and really meant nothing sensual, but was symbolic of the great generative powers of Nature. He thought that if syphilis had existed among the Hindoos it would have been symbolised in their works, which gave minute particulars of every subject. So far as he was aware, there was no description in their writings before the period of the discovery of America, to indicate clearly any knowledge of the disease. With respect to Australia, he said, it had made frightful havoc in that country, and the rapid disappearance of the native inhabitants had been attributed partly to that cause. With regard, however, to the extinctiou of aboriginal races, he observed that there was another cause in operation which tended more effectually to produce that effect. The women were generally less numerous than the men; that was particularly the case among all the islands of the South Pacific, and in all parts of the world so circumstanced the original races were dying out and would soon become extinct. The real cause of it is, that where there is a great disparity of the sexes, and the women are much less numerous than the men, virtual prostitution exists, and the consequences are unfertility and extinction of race.
Mr. Witt said he could not perceive much connection between phallic worship and syphilis ; but the existence of that worship in South America and in Central America he thought was proved by Count de Walder, who gave details of its practice there and representations of phallic images.
M. Bollaert mentioned that there is a disease peculiar to Quito, and that idiotcy is not known among the aboriginal races of North or of South America.
Mr. Reddie inquired what evidence there was of the non-existence of idiotcy among the Indians of America. If that were proved to be the case, he thought it possible that the absence of idiots might be accounted for by supposing that the infants were destroyed when idiotic. That was the practice among the Greeks, or at least, was recommended by them. The facts on the subject were very meagre.
Mr. Bollaert stated, in reply, that he was not aware that the Indians destroyed any of their children.
Dr. Turle asked whether any true case of plague had been known in South America.
Mr. Bollaert said he thought not.
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W.M. Bollaert, 1864
