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Chamberlain. -- The causes of consumption are sometimes past finding out, as the following circumstances will show: Two brothers living in this town, when young men, built themselves houses, not more than fifty or sixty rods apart; one built a wooden house, on a slightly elevated, sandy locality -- the house is not shaded at all, but takes the sunshine freely throughout the day. In this he reared a family of twelve children, eleven of which are now living, the youngest being about thirty years of age; a part of the family still occupy the house, and no case of consumption has ever occurred in the family. The other brother built a brick house on a spot neither elevated nor low; the site is not wet, but is not as. dry, and is a little less elevated than the point selected for the wooden house built by the first brother. Here he reared eleven children, and has occupied the house probably forty years. The house is considerably shaded on the south front. Within the last twenty years there have occurred, in this family, nine cases of consumption. Both of these houses front to the south, and both are equally exposed to the north-west winds. Consumption is not hereditary in either family, through father or mother. I know another family in which consumption is not hereditary, who occupy a house in which sunshine can scarcely enter, in consequence of shade-trees and the peculiar build of the house, which has lost six children by consumption. They all arrived at adult age, however, before disclosing symptoms of the disease. In regard to the mortality attaching to the brick house above mentioned, the shading of the south side cannot be considered a cause, as the disease first showed itself before the trees were large enough to shade the premises. I can call to mind several similar instances. My own conviction has been for many years, that consumption loves a moist locality and a dark dwelling. I have noticed that houses built upon a dry subsoil, and so constructed that they admit the sun freely, are generally free from consumption. A dry locality, with plenty of sunshine, warm clothing, and good living, will never breed consumption; with these blessings surrounding a person he may, even if he inherits a predisposition to consumption, keep the disease at bay, and live to a good old age.

Holmes. -- Yes; and east winds and fogs.

Cushman. -- It has been said in official reports, that in this town -- Randolph -- consumption is more prevalent than in any other town in the State. It will be difficult to account for the fact; Randolph is high and dry land. The land between us and the ocean is lower than it is in Randolph. The east and north-east winds come to us loaded "with decayed vegetable matter from the lowlands of Braintree and Quincy.

Wheeler. -- I am quite positive, from well-marked observation, that dwellings situated on northern declivities, with low, damp lands below, -- for example, a marsh or a meadow, either fresh or salt, to the eastward, -- are peculiarly exposed to consumptive causes. I have seen whole families, so exposed, fade away in a few years, after having reached adult life, especially the younger members -- the children more frequently than the parents. This I have observed in families where the children have been born and reared in the locality.

Greene. -- Our little town has been more than usually afflicted by the dreadful disease to which the circular calls attention. One little hamlet on the banks of the North River, our principal stream, has four new cases. This village is very low, and is almost every night enveloped in a fog. A hundred rods to the north of this village is another case -- a young mother with four children. This case is apparently an example of a variety of causes combining to produce the dreadful result -- consumption. The causes in this case are (1), hard labor at cotton-weaving; (2), frequent child-bearing; (3), foggy air, muddy soil, and perhaps foul drinking-water -- for the patient uses water from a spring which was often white as milk, with clay; and her abode is a factory tenement on the bank of a canal which supplies power to the mill she worked in. The soil is always damp there. I have one patient who contracted the disease while a "commercial traveller" in Michigan, a notoriously swampy State. One patient is the daughter of a woman who was cured of consumption years ago. I have this statement from her (the mother's) attendant, Dr. A. C. Deane, of Greenfield. Her mother recovered under the influence of change of air, exercise, and cod-liver oil. The daughter's disease followed (1), hard work at cotton-spinning; (2), wet location of home; (3,) pneumonia, right lung, which is now the seat of tubercle; (4), drunken habits of father; (5), previous tuberculosis of mother; (6), irregular menses. Two cases are children of a mother who died (as I believe) of leucocyiiheniia; she certainly had anasmia, exophthalmos, and slightly enlarged thyroid gland. Both live in a foggy, wet spot. One case died of consumption, following, and complicated by severe chronic pharyngitis. This case was apparently made worse by child-bearing. A boggy pasture is in the rear of the house.