The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-08-30
The Cause of Perioi ic Fevers.
1rrom the Nr,ehi.eehes rim-.l

Iron the Nstchi,eehes Tim.sl
Since the time of Lancisci, an Italian writer who
wrote at the beginning OF the last century con-
corning the cause of periodic fevers, discriminating
the cause marsh .masm, the etlOl0gy OF these Ola
eases has engaged the attention of all celebrated
patholoRists and chemists up to the present time.
Yet Notwithstanding the learned researches OF the
most famous of these, the causaton OF these
affections remained in doubt aud uncertainty;
more subtle than the perfumed odOr VI the rose,
il constantly escaped the chemists retort and the
patholOgist's microscope. But IT seems leftfor
ihe learned Psychologists of the last half of the
present century u fully elucidate the wonderful
cause of this most wonderful and strange disease.
And as the disease is so common to every house
hold in this section OF country, the writer hopes
the following will be Of more or less interest 20
the general leader as well as to professional men,
most remarkable paper on the cause OF In
rermittent and remittent feyeTs has appeared from
the pen of DR.. Salisbury OF Cleveland. Ohio. 10
this paper Dr. S. claims 10 have ascertained that
these fevers are caused by the introduction into
the system of cells or spores emanatng from GER
tain species of algoid plants called palmelle,
which belong to the lowest known vegetable or
ganism. To this species OF plants he apples the
generic name gemiasm, signifyiDg earth-miasm
and be also calls them ague-plants. de bases his
discovery on the folio wing facts-s mcroscopical
examination of the salivary secretions and mucous
expectorstions in the morning OF persons living
in q malarious region showed cells OF an algoid
TYNE resembling strongly those Of the palmelle TO
be the only constant bodies present. and these D0-
dies were invariably absent whenever the mucou
secretions we're examined from persons residing
above the summit plane of ague. These palmel sc
cells were obtained by suspending plates Of glass
near broken ground over night in places whence
malsrious emanstions were known to arise. The
so called sgue plants we're invariably found in nu
merous localities in which intermittent fever pre-
vailed and in no instance were they found where
this disease did not occur.
Cakes OF surface soil from malarious locality
which were covered with the palmele, we're car
RED to a high, billy district, situated five miles
from sDy msIsrious locality, where case Of ague
had never been known to occur. These cakes
were exposed on the sill of an opened second
story window opening into the sleeping apartment
of two young men. A plate of glass suspended
over them during the night was found TO be GOV
cred with palmellod spores and celles. Both tue
young men had intermittent fever--one on the
twelfth. asd the other ON the fourteenth day-nc
other member of the family being affected. The
aRue plants were found in the urine OF persons
Affected with intermittent fever. Prof. Austin
Flint remarks in his valuable work on the prac
tice of medicine. that il this is suostantated, !
will form one of the most interesting, and, Ia
practical view, one of the most important event
in the medical history of the present century
The theory OF the cryptOganc origin OF perio 1ica
fevers has been ably argued by some of the mos
celebrated pathologists of the present century.
Csc. E. GILLESPIE, NJ. ID.
Isouis