, 1865-11-02
TEE CAUSES OF plsEasE.
r1ed;src,iing Causes for Epidemic,
Endemic and Sporadic Diseases-.-
Gaseous Poisons, Bad Feutiia.
ton, Organic Matters, Filthy
Streets md their Effects.
THE CfIOI ERA AND MEANS FOR
ITS PREVENTION.
TWo Lccturez Delivered MT Rush mcdl.
ca1 College by Or. J. A. Alien.

NA@A Uf DEs j A. Alien.
Two lectures delivered bv Dr.. i. Adam. Ave, =,
tho atmospheric czntc4 Of disease, before ,he stu
denE 81 Iush Medical College, on tht g,h and aIst
alt.. hrs On subject Of such impostancc 10 our
CITIZENS II this time that ve feel they will amply
Sepay careiM per1sal. extended NJ they arc Tbs
strong probabilities Of vf.lt to this city nsxt se.
son By that dreaded peat, the cholers, should
aw9Sen every one 70 the great importance Of
aeafnt md Information aueh as 81 Is C cooaped eTI5 II
nnsSs Whine a's5 thess aaas feF efe o. T b
to neca men thst esss s,a Se ror won snsgH II
regard 70 the cfecte OF caseous treatment Of chi
asan1e oiseases, Is comparatively unknown and IN
improved. ann II VIC should hare The cholers hero
again, q 1ne opportunity for experimenis WiiI be
afforded theTein- The two lectures hcre rsncrte5
h LANG 9een EssGa ios class Instruction. arc sho1n
mattel mattel but We reproduce al relating TO The main
FIRST LECTURE.
AT the close Of the last lecture you vii remember
the lecturer speaking Of the constitution OF the
atmosphere, when 1t was remarked thaf II IL nnr
purpose 70 eorsider lts essential constituents iis
tai or accidental constituents a. to lheIr ecyc-i
e1ecse ID provoking dinease. You VIII ajso nlesse
to Ieeolleca The constitution OF tho stnosnhern.
and fourilhs Of nitrogen Or Ia be morr na,ticn7sr
70.e nitrogen and eos oxygen. constituting not
chemical union bat chemical mixture nIan fo1d
vary ut different heights orin certain loealitfes
Thus we may hare les amount Of Oxygen upon
the snt9ace OF the sea or On the immediate maiEiu
Of the etz coast the lesscned proportion or oxyren
there depending seemingly on the absorption of thss
Eas BY the syate1 while upon the Ehore the peopor
lions remain unchanged. shll he proportions
vn1y no more than two or three par cent ii
any time. and are not therefore important TLIs
atmospheric air has an immediate relation to fbc
sustcn,1ee o. animal Life, md enters intimately
1t has also one Ielatiou to the vegetable and
another 10 the animal kinedom. As philosophical
medical man has tessely aud tru,y remarked, t:The
Every particle which gos. to mike up The an1m.l
hss s '9 60 h5onh ;hs yees.abe from ihe inorganic
vegetable In which various T ehanses @ ale s
Resessss e9 5elstns o,, 9titn sSo s s.ss evolved
final decomposition, largely evolves carbohlc acsd
cas- The Vegetable world ahsorbs Ibis. takes /. up
and reduces i 70 sneh form as again to t.kc Is
portion between the substances thrown out Of lie
animal ~. body and taken up BY The vegetable, then
nsaa ns nn s 9 mated one
other unit for the uses or the hntnnn OF animal
hocT careonie acid Is The constant product Of M
life: ], exists In very small proportion compared
to The tmnfnae nats Of the atmosphere prpbabIr
not more than four Or sx pa.ts in len thoasand but
death 10 the animal system. Gasbonic aeid ess M Is
not mmcd1ats!y poisonous except SO far as ii dis
places sufficient amognt Of oxygen in the atmos-
ft1ated, again and nrain, bY Psychologists in1rolu
cling IN animal INTO reservoir Alled With csrbonlc
acid Eas and then introducing superabun3ancc OF
teFnal atmosphere, bu; II the supply Of oxygen is
not Kept mp, the animal sinks and soon dies, a.
'c doe ses ShfsEsF ns 'hs gas ca
alWaJe 70 the lowest point, may b. poured
trn1 one jar to nnotht1 md always occupies
the lowest STRAIT? in the aiF, n,ne deep caves and
| phces arr no doubt familiar to you a1l. In such
situations It's effect upon man Is 10 produce spas
nodic clo,ns Of the slotus. cutting OF the supply
from The lungs, a. la shown BY plssine the breath
through lime water, the csrhonie acid changing
the lMpld water INTO milky auid almost instant.
70 produce the Immediately fatal aedou desuibsd.
dispoeins cause Of disease. But this is not the
sole result Of The accumulation Of men or animals
togethes IN confined snsoc. The death Of . great
is an instance OF this. well known every one and
The same fatal effects are sometimes produced on
ship;bo9rd. when g.eat numbers Of passengers are
e. are closed down. This i probably from sr6on-
ic acid gas, but II IL mol The immediate cause Of
deaIb. which !. he poisonous e1haladons tFom the
mon ingredients OF the atmosphere is Eulphn:eEted
hydroscn, another Ess OF exceedingly sedat1re and
asrs, sha.ase. q 17 1pa1 the syse til every
and recognized casily by iss peculiar odor, which Il
that q rotten egee- OF thia ne may say precisely e
aass ee Il
t,ty 10 produce Immediate deaih, .predisposes 10
rom .he kurfate 0! the enrth,- only from imme-
diste decomposition. but Is constantly being ex-
haled fron the earth, in come Localities, Is IN
stance has been shown capable Of destroying l[fr
At once, producing ntI the effects Off eed.tire poi.
sor, nueasincse, languo1, lassi'nde, pFosttstion,
quantities. Thus The system is pro.ttated, and
for eholca, any other epidemic or endemic dis
es .hs o52 asSs g. t. ,sSes1 em 4 81 h.
exhausted from some temporary cause, and 10
ds;en iasms Of sanous on aieesse itsoaa ss Setns
previously exposed to long continued cxertiou, to
cold and wei. IN thc LIE of eodies. Or any de-.
sway Of lhese dsease.. So much IL This true, that
some believe bilious fever and other tnaarions dis.
2. the he the direct results Of the sui
to &. when sss 'ne sreds%as3an R51aas1l,,s
in the atmosphere, II, dcpsesses he system
sHs s,5ss 5sadsr t. ,hs e!afm,e and snas:
homes IN the sewers and Euess and in the streets
such a. +: going on in this city, This gas becomes
may also be mentioned a another Of the resuls oi
IfpeaE Of ,ts eifsets may illustrate, by % sincie
Is s.1osg probability Tor the opinion ihal the So
called Eaopal Hotel disease, III the NationaI ote]
al Washington, which you will all remember, from
which some died and many suffered and NE still
suffering, WAS caused By tie sulpha1etted hydrogen
coming from defective sewer under the hotel this
eaa being elected nom It With such force as to c.
carburetted hydrogen. This Is the eame Eas which
xon VII hnd noM1ng ron The sas pipe, ana. like
is also aD emanaslon from tue estth, especially IN
volcanic districts Il viii destroy boil vegetable
md animal lte, bat docs not seem TO be an imne-
diate poison Of 1isell-more like cntbone acid gas
in tha respect and the effects attributed to II seem
rather attributable 10 the presence Of earbonic OK
ide. which ia found in Large amount in connection
with Il especially when II 1s produced ArtidciatlF
and Mhichis Of powerful md immediately de-
| pressing effect Th,. il supplied IL vast quantities,
especially BY the gas companies who furnish II in d
FcrJ impure slate and at enormous prfcce. 1t CO.
inades with the enlphuretted hydrogen in dcpzcss-
ing the powers ofle, in pEcdispo+ing 10 epidemic
endemic and sporadic diteases. We might slso
| mention ~ one Of the constituents Of The aunos-
| phc1t which sometimes has remarkable edect,
nitric oxide, which Il a1so resut of tho decompo-
IN irritation Of The mucous membrane md bron-
chfa1 tubes, with tendency 70 htonchiae and
pneumonia- But this does not demand our atsen-
ae present ii Arge amounts IN the atmosphere snd
also capable Of producing change in the respirl-
tos3 surfaces With which It comes In contact. To-
near ibe eea.hnre int its nronortnn Is ~ ameI :.
| in Imrr noesnrsisl efiert anA Ne nnig mcmillan Il
ae = r,,Yios,vp Il msy nnse1 .nme r4rnmst.rea.
have some hrpf.nir effect I'M ~ ,srs 11sc";,ta
Uni thsf ~. irh;rh hsa ths ,ncst dnna - t
xion i. 61me Yecnij,r csv d,scorn.oS r. En.7ss
herS, md enTnntsd hv hiIH r. hs ".scoG ~ f ~
hxa1nrco fhs nrrs11y ~ Mos, chsEsn;s, h .os "
EaieSs II r. - ,be s1otn,,ir f.1 IoMee'a; =;
oSrvrn If" is e.sTv "11.epM re,ea,,,.s1a III" ., o.
f;1 sueu. that neenfisr sn5rn uhge5
is nnnffested when the e1eetTiesf ,nsshine
I - +nTnrd rnd e1rctTcitv "a Sara1ored II - iae
notieed In tbunder ttna nben her. IA 1.roe H.
chaTse of e!eetr1city, md ii my be Manufactured n
a.asi,l,y This eas il eh,zaeterzed y its intense
ux5dalinr. Or dissipatnc decomnosed rnatiers .4he
amosphe1e. II being powerful ox1disinr arens. - nj
cially to The respiratory systen. When produeed
nrtiGiay II fs peculiarly puppent and wairrc nraw