Medical Inquiries and Observations, Vol. 1 / The Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged by the Author - Benjamin Rush

To show the difference between the weather at Spring-Mill and in Pittsburg, I shall here sub-join an account of it, in both places, the first taken by Mr. Legeaux, and the other by Doctor Bedford.

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, made at SPRING-MILL, 13 miles NNW of Philadelphia. April 1788.
D. of the month.	THERMOMETER.						BAROMETER.			PREVAILING WIND.	DAYS					WATER			WEATHER.
	of Fahrenheit, mean degree			de Reaumur, degrés moyens			mean height				of aur. bor.	of rain.	of thunder.	of snow.	of tempest.	of RAIN and SNOW.
	D.	¹⁄₁₆	O	D.	¹⁄₁₀	O	in.	pts.	¹⁄₁₆		of aur. bor.	of rain.	of thunder.	of snow.	of tempest.	in.	pts.	¹⁄₁₆
1	58	1		11	6		29	10	5	W.									Overcast, fair.
2	46	9		6	9		30	1		Calm.									Overcast and windy.
3	40	3		3	7		30		3	Changeable.		1					1	15	Overcast, rainy.
4	51	3		8	6		29	11	7	SW.									Overcast.
5	51	1		8	5		30		7	E.									Overcast, fair.
6	55	7		10	5		29	11	7	Calm.		1					1	3	Overcast, rainy.
7	51	3		8	6		30	2		NE.		1					2	7	Overcast, rainy.
8	42	1		4	5		29	11		E.		1					1	4	Rainy.
9	63	5		14			29	8		W.									Overcast, windy.
10	46	7		6	5		29	10		W.									Fair.
11	53	8		9	7		30	2		W.									Very fair.
12	44	5		5	5		29	10		Calm.		1					1	11	Overcast, rainy.
13	60	5		12	7		29	10	3	SW.									Very fair.
14	50	2		8	1		29	9		E.		1					1	14	Fair, overcast, rainy.
15	58	1		11	6		29	9	7	SW.		1					2	13	Foggy, rainy.
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, made at PITTSBURG, 284 miles west of Philadelphia. April, 1788.
1	46									SW.		1							Cloudy.
2	42									NE. by N.									Clear.
3	43									SE.		1							Cloudy.
4	64									Calm.									Clear.
5	80									SE. by S.		1	1						Cloudy.
6	52									SW.		1							Cloudy.
7	48									NE. by N.									Cloudy.
8	66									SE. by S.		1	1						Cloudy.
9	56									NW. by N.									Cloudy.
10	60									SW.									Cloudy, with wind.
11	62									Calm.									Clear.
12	67									SW.									Cloudy, with wind.
13	62									Calm.									Clear.
14	60									Variable.		1							Cloudy.
15	52									W.									Cloudy.

From a review of all the facts which have been mentioned, it appears that the climate of Pennsylvania is a compound of most of the climates in the world. Here we have the moisture of Britain in the spring, the heat of Africa in summer, the temperature of Italy in June, the sky of Egypt in the autumn, the cold and snows of Norway and the ice of Holland in the winter, the tempests (in a certain degree) of the West-Indies in every season, and the variable winds and weather of Great-Britain in every month of the year.

From this history of the climate of Pennsylvania, it is easy to ascertain what degrees of health, and what diseases prevail in the state. As we have the climates, so we have the health, and the acute diseases, of all the countries that have been mentioned. Without attempting to enumerate the diseases, I shall only add a few words upon the time and manner in which they are produced.

I. It appears from the testimonies of many aged persons, that pleurisies and inflammatory diseases of all kinds, are less frequent now than they were forty or fifty years ago.

II. It is a well known fact, that intermitting and bilious fevers have increased in Pennsylvania in proportion as the country has been cleared of its wood, in many parts of the state.

III. It is equally certain that these fevers have lessened, or disappeared, in proportion as the country has been cultivated.

IV. Heavy rains and freshes in the spring seldom produce fevers, unless they are succeeded by unseasonably warm weather.