Of the Influence of the Moon. CLIMATE.

ABOUT forty-eight hours previous to, and suc­ceeding the new and full moon, all nature appears to be affected; a warm south-west wind generally pre­vails; the barometer sinks to 29 and 28½ and the thermometer rises from 15 to 25 degrees:^* a cold [Page 4] dense and heavy air from the north-east rushes in to supply the place of this rarefied air, which conti­nues to blow sometimes two or three days, atten­ded with thick clouds and rain, obscuring the whole atmosphere, and often does considerable damage along the coast and wharves^*: it was one of these storms that prevented Dr. Franklin from observing an eclipse of the moon in the year 1760.

Within the periods, or on one of the two days which immediately precede and follow the new and full moon, high winds, storms,^† hurricanes,^‡ tempests,^§ tornadoes, and earthquakes,^‖ are always expected, or if a storm or tempest is then in being, she most [Page 5] commonly moderates it^*. Within the periods, our tides in the Delaware generally rise from one to two feet higher than in the intervals.^† This is so wellknown, that some of our ship-carpenters wait for the periods before they launch their vessels.

I believe the water, when the moon comes towards her meridian, is at its greatest heighth; because the atmosphere, from the elevation of the column of air directly under her meridian, is diminished in weight and pressure; and not more depressed, according to Dr. Franklin, who says, "the tide is a wave, and a wave, a tide in miniature; and that the wave follows her two hours, after she passes the meridian."

The United States are most subject to inundations at the new and full moon; which is to be accounted for by the high winds, occasioning the sea to flow in the rivers with a strong current, which check the tides, and cause them to overflow the low lands.^‡ The lakes on our continent are, likewise, it is well known, influenced by this luminary.

Of the influence of the moon on people in health.

The influence of this planet, on the animal eco­nomy, has been remarked by many authors, from the venerable Hippocratis to the ingenious Darwin, and particularly by the Arabian physicians; by Ga­len, Baglivi, Van Helmont, Ballonius, Ramazzini, Pitcairn, Mead, Sir Hans Sloan, Floyer, Grainger, Gregory, Balfour, Musgrave, Lind, Wilson, Mosely, Leake, Tyson, Wade, Jackson, Laing, and the late Dr. Smith of New-York.

Within the periods, the pulse is generally more quick and tense than in the intervals; and respiration is more free and easy: hence, an agreeable sensation of heat is perceived, and vigour is imparted to the whole system.

Persons in health appear to drink more at the full and change; a plethora is induced in the system; the appetite of thirst is much increased, and, perhaps, one-third less of the usual quantity of liquor is re­quired to make a man drunk at this time, than in common. This has been particularly observed by the friends and acquaintances of Mr. J— R—n of this city.

The appetite for animal food is not increased; the determination to the alimentary canal is diminished, while that of the insensible perspiration of the body is much increased; the quantity of fluids in the vas­cular system is more considerable.

Impressions, made on the senses, excite quicker sensations and reflections. The secretions are en­creased; and hence, I have often observed mothers and nurses, in general, who are sucking children, afford more milk at this time.

The young and old, from their accumulated ex­citability, are more sensibly affected than the [Page 7] middle-aged. A Mr. Ross, rope-maker, of this city, has a daughter seven years old, who enjoys a good share of health, except at the periods, when she falls in a syncope, which lasts ten or fifteen minutes: when she recovers from this state of insensibility, she enjoys her usual good health until the periods return, when, unconscious, she is seized as before.

In Hartford, state of Connecticut, Dr. T. was found dead in the street: he was going from his neighbour's to his own house, January 31, 1794, and on the same day, hour, and minute the sun was in an eclipse with a new moon.^*

On the mind it produces the most powerful ef­fects;^† as an equanimity of temper, a disposition to cherefulness, and an aversion to anger in people of irascible dispositions; perhaps there may be disco­vered in the atmosphere, a mixture of airs at the pe­riods favourable to the intellectual faculties: in this state of the mind, physicians visit their patients and relations; their friends labouring under contagious diseases, and are not so liable to receive infection.

Effects of the moon's influence on diseases.

The revolutions of the moon appear to affect fe­vers in a very considerable manner, which is of great consequence in their prevention and cure.

The influence of this luminary in this class of dis­eases, is more powerful on one of the two days, which immediately precede and follow the full and change, than those on the intervening days, or intervals; so, when I shall speak of these periods, I shall conclude four complete days at each.

I observe the most influence, the nearer we are to those periods; with respect to the two, the full seems to have most power, which is agreeable to her situa­tion and proximity.

The first attacks of fevers, (particularly the bili­ous, remitting, and intermitting,) are most frequent, their symptoms more violent, and more difficult to cure at the periods.^* Vomits are principally of ser­vice [Page 9] at this time, in these diseases, as there is mostly a disposition to puke, from an immense quantity of acrid bile in the primae viae.

The effects of the moon's influence upon the human body, may, in some degree, be accounted for, by a change in the qualities of the air, and not by any supernatural or incomprehensible manner.

The proportion of oxygene empyreal or vital air is encreased, and hydrogene or inflammable air dimi­nished—first, by the winds that prevail at the periods, which unite, absorb and carry off, an over-abun­dance of noxious vapours, generated by the calm­ness, warmth, and closeness of the atmosphere in the intervals, so pernicious to animal and vegetable life: secondly, the rains: thirdly, thunder and lightning: fourthly, by rising of the lakes and rivers, which ex­pose a larger surface to absorb and attract impure air: fifthly, by the increased perspiration of vegetables, ab­sorbing impure, and giving out pure air: sixthly, the influence of the light of the moon at night, (con­trary to Dr. Priestley, who says, "vegetables don't give out pure air from the dark:"^*) and seventhly, by the exhilarity observed in people in health; as it is generally allowed, the more pure air, the more the spirits are raised.

Of the bilious remitting, or yellow fever, of the year 1793, the first attacks, relapses, and deaths, were more frequent at the periods, than during the intervals. This was observed of the plague of Nime­guen, by Dicerrerbraeck in the year 1636.

Persons of weak nerves, and debilitated bodies, are most subject to an attack of the typhus mitior within [Page 10] the periods;^* when their countenance appears sunk, their eyes clouded and dry, with a high colour, and heat in their cheeks, which show a determination to the head; while the end of the nose, the ears, and extremities are cold; here, if evacuants are not di­rectly used, a typhus gravior frequently ensues, and may be known by the meagre face, eye-lids closed or half shut, with other fatal symptoms.^† Per­haps the encreased circulation of the fluids, in the system at the change and full moon, renders the body more alkalescent: may not this be the reason why phlogosis, sometimes in a few hours, puts on symp­toms of gangrene and sphacelus. This was particu­larly noticed in the case of a butcher in Spring Gar­den, in the month of January, 1793, who had an inflammation between his thunb and fore finger, about the time the moon was full, when, in a few hours, a gangrene appeared, which put an end to his existence.^‡

[Page 11]The exacerbations of the hectic fever, are often more violent, and of longer duration at the periods, than in the intervals, in persons between the age of eighteen and thirty-six, which is observable by the circumscribed checks, while the rest of the face is pale and appears dirty; the pulse being tense and full. I have ordered blood to be drawn at this time with the most happy effects.

Many local complaints, such as head-ach,^* tooth-ach,^† opthalmia, obstructions of the glands, spasms, cutaneous eruptions, and diseases of the urinary passages,^‡ often return periodically with the moon, attended with fevers, and are sometimes more violent and obstinate than in the intervals, with no fever.

Persons about the prime and vigour of life, are frequently liable to violent and fatal attacks of the ideopathic and symptomatic phrenitis, on one of the eight days of the periodical revolution of the moon; for the action of the sanguiferous system and insensi­ble [Page 12] perspiration, at this time, are encreased, the quan­tity of fluids is more considerable while they are mostly costive; the afflux must be encreased in the ascending, and by the torpor of the bowels, dimi­nished in the descending aorta. From experience, which I have had, I am disposed to conclude, that evacuants must be more necessary at the periods, than in the intervals.

A greater number of people are seized with the dif­ferent species of the cynanche, which appear more fatal and dangerous at the periods, than in the in­tervals of the moon. From my knowledge of the above facts. I have been assisted in preventing, cur­ing and prognosticating in this destructive disease. T— W— had a child three months old, who appeared from its birth to enjoy the most perfect health, until Friday the 3d of April, 1795; when an eruption appeared on the skin: in the evening the child appeared uneasy with an oppression at its breast; but, on the next morning, (Saturday) the fourth of April, was found dead along-side of its mother: I shall remark, that on this morning, at ten minutes past five o'clock, there was a full moon, and within the periods at this time, two others shared the same fate.

Delicate women, and female children with black eyes and irritable habits, are most subject to first at­tacks of the cynanche maligna on the periodical re­turn of the moon, and relapses in the intervals, when the most common symptoms that appear are a syno­chus sever, attended with delirium, the pulse quick and tense▪ the eyes watery, red and inflamed, the glands, tonsils and uvula tumefied, and put on a crim­son colour, skin of [...]e [...]tinge and full of pimples. From these symptoms, [...] appears to be an inflammatory disease: hence, evacuants may be employed with [Page 13] great safety: favourable changes seldom occur until the intervals.

Weak and irritable habits, with a sanguine con­stitution, and bad confirmation of the breast, renders them more subject to pleurisy at the periods, which in our climate assumes more of a bilious nature at this time, as there is an encreased secretion, and a great­er quantity of bile than in the intervals^*. When the symptoms of this disease are violent and difficult to remove, unless great attention be paid to the evacu­ation of the primae viae, which I consider to be load­ed with the redundant bile which acts as one of the exciting causes, it sometimes requires one-third more blood to be taken away during the periods, than in­tervals, to effect a speedy and effectual cure. In the lower parts of the Delaware state, some people are particular in bleeding two days before and after the full and change of the moon, and think a fatality attends if blood is not drawn at this time. Venae sectio [...] in some cases succeeds better with children than adults at the periods. It is often more proper for wom [...]n, than men. Smaller quantities of blood are required to remove inflammatory diseases in ne­groes, which they appear not so subject to, especially at the period [...], as white people.

The gout always begins in a plethoric habit, whether it depends on a particular confirmation of the structure of the body or other causes, as the in­fluence of the moon at the periods. Hence relapses of this scourge of intemperance are frequent at the periods.

I prefer inoculating for the small-pox at such a time as to cause the eruption to happen in the intervals; this is agreeable to the practice of Dr. Bal­four; because the danger of the eruptive fever is en­creased, [Page 14] and most apt to run from the distinct into the confluent species, at the full and change of the moon. On the twenty-fifth of February, 1793, at six o'clock in the afternoon, the moon was full, and I was sent for to see a child eighteen months old, labouring un­der this disease, who had been laying three days with an eruption: the evening before I saw her, twelve purple spots appeared. A brother to this child was seized with this disease in the intervals, who had them very moderate, and recovered without the aid of a physician. At the periods, the lungs and throat are often most affected, the bloody pustules sometimes appear. The fever, from being an intermittent, fre­quently degenerates into a continued type; and I have known the contagion, in two cases, to lay dor­mant sixteen days in the system, and not become ac­tive until the full moon. I had a patient, who re­ceived the contagion on the beginning of the first quarter of the moon, and nine days after no symp­toms of the disease appeared; but two days before the moon filled, the arm was inflamed, a fever came on, and my patient received the infection. Dr. Dar­win says, "in the distinct small-pox, the vestiges of lunation are very apparent."^*

[Page 15]The measles were epidemic in the springs of 1788 and 1790 in Philadelphia, when the prognosis was more unfavourable at the periods than intervals, and more so to old than young people.

Robust persons of both sexes, are often liable to first attacks of the scarlitina anginosa at the periods, when the eyes are of an intense redness, and other symptoms denoting an approaching delirium to take place: this disease, especially at this time, is most fre­quently att [...]ed with a synochus fever, and the symptoms are violent and obstinate, and in all the cases that I have seen, great inflammatory diathesis appeared. On the twenty-first of January, 1793, be­ing within the period of the full moon, I was called to see three cases of the scarlitina anginosa, when great phlogistic diathesis appeared. A Miss S— D— of this city, aged twenty-five, and a child of Mr. Smith's, I have known to have four attacks at the full moon.

Persons between the age of thirty and forty, of plethoric sanguine constitutions, are often liable to first attacks and relapses of the erysipelas.

In consequence of the attracting power of the moon at the periods, a part of the external pressure or weight of the atmosphere is removed, and the body allowed to dilate itself; hence, debility or relaxation is produced on the surface, which is a predisposing cause of haemorrhagies, causing congestion, plethora, and excitability.^*

Young people of large heads, from a cessation of growth, or from a peculiar state of the system, at this time, are most subject to epistaxis, when it often ap­pears with the symptoms of syncope. Drs. Mead and [Page 16] Musgrave have published cases which confirm the above observations.^†

Persons from the age of sixteen to thirty five, who have a narrow chest and prominent shoulders, and are of a slender, delicate make, and lax fibre, and who are endowed with much sensibility, irritability and quick parts, are most liable to first attacks and relapses of this disease at the periods. In October, 1793, on the day of the full moon, I was called to a Mrs. Lee, aged thirty five, and in October, 1794, a daughter of Mr. Beck, seventeen years of age, and found them lay­ing on their backs almost exhausted from an exces­sive discharge of blood from their lungs: in both cases, I was assured that the moon often brought the disease on,^‡ and that they had relieved themselves, by loosing blood before the periods arrived.

The phthisis pulmonalis never discovers its pecu­liar symptoms, without discovering, at the same time, phlogistic diathesis of the whole system, which most frequently occurs at the new and full moon; when women, more than men, and sedentary, weak­ly and irritable habits, between the age of sixteen and thirty six, are most subject to first attacks and have relapses of this reproach of the medical art.

A costive habit, being peculiar to the periods, and a remote cause of haemorrhois, people, and more generally women of a plethoric and sanguine habit, when the system is more often affected in a general than partial manner, with the characteristic symp­toms [Page 17] of a pain in the head and rectum, are subject to first attacks and relapses at the periods. On the sixteenth of July, 1795, I was called to see two cases of this disease, in the morning of which day, we had a new moon.

As the return of the catamenia depends on the force of the uterine arteries, impelling the blood to their extremities, and this force is always considerably en­creased at the new and full moon, I never knew or heard of a woman, whose periodical discharge was not, in some degree, influenced by this planet. The most barbarous nations, and all antiquity, are of this opinion. Hippocrates, Galen and Dr. Mead has made some observations similar to the above.^* In plethoric females this discharge sometimes proceeds to excess, and produces a complaint, known by the name of menorrhagia.

The amenorrhea usually attacks females, a little after the time of puberty, and generally returns every new and full moon, with an excess of action, in both the arterial and venous systems, with a fever in the beginning; the face becomes pale, and then assumes a greenish, livid or yellow colour; the eyes are sunk in their sockets, with a blue circle round them; the lips are colourless, and the whole body ap­pears swelled. In the cure of this affection, evacuants may be used with more safety at the periods, than in the intervals.

Diseases of pregnancy are apt to appear and return at the periods, perhaps from a diminished proportion of oxygene in the atmosphere; and may be relieved by the liberal use of the lancet.

Parturition is often more difficult at the periods than in the intervals, and also in delicate constitutions. Large evacuations takes place at this time. Hence there is the greatest possible danger. This I experienced in an amiable, delicate lady, in the month of August [Page 18] 1792, who enjoyed life only four hours after delivery.

Weakly women, of lax solids, who have had many children, are often liable to an abortion at the new and full moon. Perhaps the reason why we find the same parents produce one child healthy and robust, and another sickly, weakly, and delicate, is, that the former was born in the encrease, the latter in the decrease of the moon.^*

I shall digress a moment, in order to corroborate this observation further, by a few facts taken from the animal and vegetable kingdoms. First, I have often heard it said, fattened meat killed near the full moon will not shrink from the bone nor decrease in weight, but will look full and plump when cooked, but if killed in the intervals, will do so; I would also observe here, that, animal food, killed at the periods, is rather more alkalescent and of more easy digestion, owing, perhaps, to the encreased circula­tion of the blood in the animal. Second, young bees, if they lodge in the decrease of the moon, appear to produce little or no honey, and a number die; but if in the encrease, they commonly produce as much, if not more, than the old. Third, oysters, crabs, lobsters and muscles^† are more fat and plump at the full than new moon. Fourth, at the periods crabs often change their coats or shells, and clams, at those times, most always change their beds, where they had remained sunk during the winter.

[Page 19]From the vegetable kingdom, I shall only men­tion two, among many facts in my possession. In or­der to make trees of any kind durable, cut them down on the day on which there is a new moon; the grain will be fine and devoid of sap, but if deferred for a few days, the grain of the wood will be coarse and full of juice. This is attended to by some of the planters of the southern states of America.^*

The epidemic catarrh, of the fall 1789, and of the spring, 1790, appeared to be propagated a greater distance, affected a greater number of people, and was more universal within the eight days of the change and full moon. I have known whole fami­lies, and even different animals, attacked with it at the above periods. In many cases, there was an uncom­mon afflux of fluids to the head, with a considerable discharge of blood from the nose, and in some, the disease was attended with symptoms of pneumonia notha, coma and mania; when the pulse was hard, fever continued, respiration laborious; persons of both sexes, between the age of eighteen and thirty six, of irritable habits, were most subject to the lat­ter symptoms at the periods.

First attacks and relapses of the dysentery, fre­quently attend the periods: the fever is remitting, sometimes continued and inflammatory; a nausea is a more frequent symptom at the periods, than in the intervals, from the excretion of a larger portion of bile in the primae viae: bleeding is only necessary, if at [Page 20] all, in our climate, to diminish the encreased action of the arterial system, and vomits for the removal of the bile, which should be persisted in, as long as the symptoms that required them continued.

Perhaps the reason why apoplexy so frequently at­tends the periodical revolutions of this influential planet, is the calm that attends her, occasioning a stagnation of the air and noxious exhalations from our earth; the winds that succeed purify this air: the sudden change of the sensible and insensible quali­ties of this fluid, by producing indirect debility, which this disease is chiefly founded in, and which encreases the afflux of fluids in the arteries of the head, and produces distention, or more frequently effusion, des­troys the mobility, or energy of the nervous power in the brain. Hence a stagnation, and its consequen­ces, rupture, effusion, and death. Of the many and numerous cases which came under my notice, in this city, I shall mention in these observations but three. Friday, May 16, 1793, I visited a young man, twenty-five years of age, who was seized with an apoplexy, which proved fatal in five minutes. On the twenty-second of June, I saw another case, which also termi­nated in death; and on the thirty-first of Dec. a wo­man, aged fifty-three, was instantly carried off in the same manner: these cases were within the periods of the moon. In Providence, Rhode-Island, on Monday morning, January thirteenth, 1794, died of an apo­plectic fit, Miss B— R—, in the bloom of youth and health; having gone to bed the preceding even­ing well, she was found the next morning affected with this complaint: the moon was full on the six­teenth instant, at ten minutes past ten o'clock.

That species of apoplexy formerly denominated sanguineous, in which there is a plethoric state of the vessels of the head, attended with red face, laborious respiration, often comes on suddenly at the periods, with symptoms violent and fatal, especially to per­sons above fifty; whereas the serous apoplexy, with [Page 21] a defect of action sometimes attacks in the intervals. Bleeding is most beneficial at the periods, from the carotic arteries or jugular veins, which should de­mand our first attention; also should be used to take off the irritation from the brain.

The hydrocephalus internus frequently attacks full, robust, healthy, active and lively children at the periods: in the recent state, there is an intollerance of light from the great sensibility of the eyes, which obliges me to favour Dr. Quinn's theory, delivered in his inaugural dissertation, "that, it depends on an inflammation of the brain, and that the effusion is the effect and not the cause." I have cured one case by bleeding.

Periodical palsies often appear within the periods, (Piso and Tulpius, speaks of her bringing on periodi­cal palsies,) which are caused by an overflow of pu­trid bile in the stomach at this time, and which a puke sometimes has cured.

Women, and people of delicate constitutions, are sometimes subject to syncope at the periodical revo­lutions of the moon, when the face has not that death-like appearance, but is florid, the eyes are troubled, and the mouth is shut; the causes of this disease are to be particularly avoided at this time; blood-letting is absolutely necessary at the periods, a recumbent posture and cold water thrown on the head and face succeeds here, Syncope often attends at the periods; in the recent state of acute diseases, it is by no means a favourable symptom. By attend­ing to lunar influence, I am enabled to prognosti­cate with more certainty the return, issue, and cure of these diseases.

Dyspepsia is both ideopathic and symptomatic, whenever it attacks weak and delicate habits, at the periods. It is produced by various causes, as the en­creased secretion of bile, in the first passages, which act immediately on the stomach, or on it through the medium of the whole system: the sick head-ach [Page 22] in nine out of ten cases, accompanies this disease at the periods; and in some cases the circulation is so languid that the blood stagnates and the face becomes livid, swelled and has an unusual appearance. As there is always an uneasiness in this organ, an emetic is the cure, with an attention to the relation of aliments.

Convulsions often attack and return at the new and full moon, in middle-aged robust men, rather than women or old people: it is no uncommon disease for children to have at the periods^*. Acrid matters, as bile in the alimentary canal, is the most frequent cause of it in them. There is often a considerable action of the nervous system at the periods, which is to be ta­ken down by bleeding, vomits and cold air. In May 1793, I was called to see a child five years old, lay­ing in convulsions, for the first time, within the pe­riods. This child was bled three times before she re­covered. Fits at the beginning and close of fevers, and pregnant women, at the periods, are unfavour­able symptoms.

Strong people, men and children delicately educat­ed, are often subject to first attacks and relapses of epilepsy within the periods, the paroxysms are at­tended with highly inflammatory symptoms, which generally continue thro' life. The moon, says Galen, governs the periods of epileptic cases, which is also confirmed by Drs. Pitcairne, Tyson, of Bethlehem hospital, and the celebrated Mead.^† There are many occasional causes of epilepsy; two of which I shall mention, being the most frequent by the moon's influence at the periods; first, the periodical occasion­al recurrence of the plethoric state of the brain, or an over-distention of the blood-vessels of that organ, [Page 23] which is favourable to epilepsy; and the retention of acrid matter in the alimentary canal, occasioned by the encreased secretion of bile, together with a costive habit. Among many, shall notice but three cases. S— H—, stone cutter, November 18th, 1793, the moon being full, was seized with two paroxysms by ten o'clock in the morning. He told me his fits always returned within the periods. Miss S— A—, aged nineteen, in the year 1785, was engaged to be married to a gentleman from Maryland, who disap­pointing her by marrying another lady, it occasioned an indisposition in the former lady, in which epileptic fits appeared, and continued after her recovery, re­turned periodically within the periods of the moon until her death, in the beginning of 1795. Mrs. W—, whose fits were brought on by the loss of an only brother, were continued near twelve years, and were governed by lunar influence. These observations were made from a long personal acquaintance with the above ladies^*.

The spasmodic species of the asthma, attended with an excels of action in the vessels of the lungs, fre­quently occurs at the periods; which Van Helmont and Sir John Floyer, have observed:^† Bleeding is proper here; also fixed air breathed into the lungs, is some­times a remedy in this species of this disease within the periods.

I have observed that costiveness, and an encreased secretion of bile in the alimentary canal, to be fre­quent [Page 24] at the periods; now colic is generally produ­ced by costiveness, and bile is supposed, by Dr. Quere, of Jamaica, to be a frequent cause of this complaint. Hence persons are most liable to first attacks and re­lapses of colic, accompanied with excess of action in the muscular fibres of the alimentary canal. On Wednesday, May 14th, 1794, being within the peri­ods of the moon, I saw near six cases of the bilious colic; observing at the same time a costive habit, and the encreased secretion of bile, to be the effects of the moon's influence. One of these cases was a girl, ten years old. I observed it for a few [...] re­turn periodically with the full-moon.

Tho' children, from a peculiar weakness of consti­tution, are more subject to the cholera morbus than adults, yet it frequently affects the latter, attended with more inflammatory and bilious symptoms than in the intervals.^* We should avoid sleeping with the windows open at the periods, as the weather is changeable, and our perspiration, being encreased, is more liable to be obstructed, and produce this affec­tion.

Single and married women, of a sanguine ple­thoric habit, between the age of puberty and thirty-five, are most frequently attacked with histeria with­in the periods of the moon; when the face is preternaturally flushed, and an excess of action of the arterial system: August the 21st, 1793, at ten o'clock, A. M. the moon was full; at the same hour the next day, was called to see a young woman with histerical fits, of so violent a nature, as to require six or seven men to confine her: she was relieved by bleeding. Dr. Pitcairne and Carolus Piso mentions her influencing hysteria.