Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1868-09-12
Is Consumption Contagious 2

Eminent French, English and Aneri-
can physicians advocate the doctrine
that consumption is catching" Nor,
gagni, one of the greatest medical lights
of his time, was such a firm believer in
the opinion, that he never would assist
in the examination of a person who had
died Of the disease. Some of the most
distinguished writers as well as some OF
the most celebrated and successful prac-
titioners in that disease, have eventually
died of it themselves, among whom were
the great Lennec, Morton, W Wooster, and
not forgetting the empiric St. John Long,
$50 said.)
A large number of'persons evidently
consumptire will be found, on inquiry,
to have had husband, wife sister, OF
child to have died Of that disease. Sta
tistics seem to show that wife whose
husband is consumptive, is more liable
to consumptive disease than healthy
husband with consumptire wife; the
reason of this, if true, will suggest itself
to the thoughtful. s.-9 ..r..se
Introducing the matter of snallp
into the system prevents the smallpox.
Ltennec illocculated himself With con-
sumptive matter, but it did not stake. -
He subsequently died of consumption
himself He made this experiment to
show that consumption was not inocula-
bic. NM. Alberti and Biett thought
that cancer was not communicable by
the matter of cancer and to prove it, tried
to iGoculate themselves with it but it did
not "take." Both Of them afterwarl
died from caLcer.
1t is most probable that consumption
is not of itself communicable, that it can
not beget consumption lii one who has
vigorous health and is perfectly free
from all taint of the disease. But, if
any person who has not a vigorous con-
stitution, whether inclined to consump-
ton OF not, lives, eats and sleeps with Il
consumptive, as man and wife do, as a
sister is apt to do witha consnmptive
sister, or 4 mother with consumptive
children, such persons will generally die
of consumption themselves, not from its
communicability per Sc, but from the foul
ness of the atmosphere, about 4 consump-
tive from warm rooms, decaying lungs,
large eXpectoration, sickening night
sweats and bodily emanations.; but the
same amount of exposure to air made
foul in any other way would light the
fires of consumption in one Of feeble vi
tality or broken constitutions 1t is best
therefore that the nurse of a consamptive
should possess the most vigorous health,
and to make assurance from infection
doubly sure, the most scrupulous cleanli-
ness possible should be observed and
carried out in every conceivable dilec-
tion, extended to every minutie, and
maintained with the most inveterate
constancy through every hour OF the "a,
not allowing any excreti9n, even a single
Xpectoration.to remain about person,
bed or room for one instant. An inces-
SAINT ventilation should be going on in
the chamber, the best method for which
under most circumstances is simply to
keep fire Oh the hearth and an inner
door open; even in mid summer, this is
better for the patient as well as for the
nurse than room kept closed. all the
time from an almost insane dread OF
taking cold.-Hdlrs Journal Of Health