From Humboldt’s Essay on New Spain Humboldt Alexander von Oliver Lubrich Thomas Nehrlich Gesamtherausgeber Vollständige digitalisierte Ausgabe. Schweizerischer Nationalfonds Yvonne Wübben Sarah Bärtschi Herausgeber Band 1, Texte 1789–1799 Rex Clark Sarah Bärtschi Herausgeber Band 2, Texte 1800–1809 Jobst Welge Michael Strobl Herausgeber Band 3, Texte 1810–1819 Norbert D. Wernicke Michael Strobl Herausgeber Band 4, Texte 1820–1829 Bernhard Metz Thomas Nehrlich Herausgeber Band 5, Texte 1830–1839 Jutta Müller-Tamm Michael Strobl Herausgeber Band 6, Texte 1840–1849 Joachim Eibach Thomas Nehrlich Herausgeber Band 7, Texte 1850–1859 Norbert D. Wernicke Redakteur Apparatband Johannes Görbert Redakteur Forschungsband Corinna Fiedler Redakteurin Übersetzungsband Michael Hagner Eberhard Knobloch Alexander Košenina Hinrich C. Seeba Beirat Thomas Nehrlich Luca Querciagrossa Norbert D. Wernicke Frank Wiegand XML-Kodierung Frank Wiegand Programmierung Universität Bern Alexander von Humboldt in Bern Alexander von Humboldt: Sämtliche Schriften (Aufsätze, Artikel, Essays). Berner Ausgabe digital
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 III.7 1811-Fragment_d_un-5-neu secondary <i>Essai politique sur le royaume de la Nouvelle-Espagne. Avec un atlas physique et géographique, fondé sur des observations astronomiques, des mesures trigonométriques et des nivellemens barométriques</i>, 2 Bände, Paris: F. Schoell [1808–]1811, Band 2, S. 760–761 [Quart-Ausgabe] <i>Political Essay on the Kingdom of New Spain</i>, 4 Bände, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown / H. Colburn 1811, Band 4, S. 150–151 [nicht wörtlich, ggf. aus einer anderen/späteren Übersetzung]. From Humboldt’s Essay on New Spain Humboldt Alexander von 1820 Washington, District of Columbia in: <i>Daily National Intelligencer</i> 8:2381 (30. August 1820), [o. S.]. unknown

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from humboldt’s essay on new spain.

“In the low countries of Mexico, as in Europe,the sudden suppression of transpiration is one ofthe principal occasional causes of gastric or bil-ious fevers, and especially of Cholera Morbus,which exhibits symptoms so frightful. The cli-mate of Acapulco, whose temperature is uniformthroughout the different seasons of the year, per-mits these sudden suppressions of transpiration,from the singular coolnes which prevails there forseveral hours before sun rising. On those coastsstrangers not acclimated, if, being slightly cloth-ed, they travel in the night, or sleep in open air.In Cumana, and other places of equinoctial cli-mate, the temperature does not diminish towardssun-rising more than one or two degrees of theCentigrade thermometer (18 to 36, of Fahren-heit). In the day time the thermometer is, there,at 82 to 84 of F. and in the night at 73 to 75. AtAcapulco I have found the temperature in theday-time at 84 to 86—luringduring the night it is about79—but, for about three hours before sun-rising,it sinks rapidly to 60 or 64.

“This change produces a very sensible im-pression on the organs. In no other part of thetropical regions have I felt so great coolness inthe latter part of the night; we seem to pass sud-denly from summer to autumn and yet the sunhas hardly risen before we complain of the heat.In a climate in which health depends chiefly onthe functions of the skin, and in which the organsare affected with the slightest changes of tempe-rature, a diminution of 18 or 20 degrees produ-ces suppressions of transpiration, extremely dan-gerous to Europeans not acclimated.”

Is it not very proper to attribute many, if notmost, of our diseases in the United States, to thesame cause, viz: the sensible diminution of tem-perture in the latter part of the night, duringAugust and September?