The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-11-30
The Gerris Tneoryo "a b D h sa,I
TYPHoID.FEvER AN IMPORTANT LETTER gRoN
.fstF PROFESSOR TYNDALL. f4tiA rs

! PROFESSOR TYNDALL. ~ III
Professor TyndalE has just written
fWghly-important letter to the London Time
Eih support Of the theory Of Or. William
| Bndd, i. 4. S., of Clinton, England, whict
isitbat g the living human body IS the soil II
| which the specific poison Of typboid-fevel
| breeds and multipies:''s In his letter be
quotes at length from the work referred to-
but in this place twill be sufficient to say
that his quotations refer almost exclusively
to Instances where, typboid-feyer was evil
DENLY communicated to persons by contact
with the patient suffering from the disease,
and could not possibly have been eommuni-
Gated in any other manner. Many OF these
instances are exceedingly striking, partieu-
larly those which prove that healthy man
by simply visiting person sick with ty phoid
fever can, and Often actually does, carry
away with him the poison in bis system,
and impast the disease into healthy dis
trict miles away. After quoting these in
stances Professor TyndalF says: Ill
"There Is no confusion of data here no
blur or ipdisbpctness: in the Observers vi
sion no flaw, as far as / can see,i in his rea.
soning. He follows the morbifc agent from
place to place, sees it planted, developed,
shedding its seeds, producing new crops ;
growing up where it is soWn, and there only.
Ashpits fail to develop it; putreseence fails
to develop it; stencil fails to develop
its even the open priYy is powerless
as long as it is kept free, from the dis
charges of those already attached. The case
Of North Tawton is TYPICAL; numerous
other cases equally conclusive are adduced-
among them the foul condition of the
Thames in the hot weather OF 1858 and
1859, when stencil for the first time rose
to the height Of historic event, and when,
London, even along the river,
enjoyed singular immunity from fever. 1t
is, think, impossible for any intelligent
reader, and should say certainly impossible
for any man trained to scientific reasoning,
to quit DR.. Budd's volume without closing
with the conclusion that the living human
body is the soil in which the specific poison
of typhoid-tever breeds and multiplies."
After pointing out that if the typhoid
virus has, as be believes, its origin in the
human body, sewers become practically, as
Dr.. Budd says, "direct combinations Of the
diseased intestines." He says: .j-#
'sThe result points with unmistakable pre-
cision to the mode of attack. But this point
will be best illustrated by case out of DR..
Budd's own practice. 1t occurred in the
convent of the Good Shepherd, at Amos
court, near Bristol. At no previous time
had typhoid-fever ever appeared in the con-
vent. In November, 1868, Il girl actually la
boring under the disease was admitted into
the reformatory. Sue was removed BY the
permission OF medical man, who, in ac-
cordance with the prevalent doctrine, held
shat typhoid-fever was the result of bad
drainage, and in no way contagious When
DR.. Budd visited the place, on the 29th of
February, thirty young women were in bed
with the fever, and within forty.eight hours
twenty more were added to the list. Fifty.
six, of whom eight died, were struck down
before the plague was subdued.
The measures adopted were these:
81. Flooding all the drains of the place
with disinfectants, with view to destroy as
fur as possible the poison already cast of.
80. The reception of all discharges from
the sink, Immediately on their issue from
the body, into vessels charged with disin-
fectants.
"3. The instant immersion of all bed and
body linen used By the sick into disin-
fectiDg liquid before its removal from the
ward.
"a. Scrupu!ous ablution and disinfectlen
OF the hands of the nurses.
"Lastly, the burning or distinction OF
all beds occupied by the sick as soon as va
Gated by death, convaescence, or other
wise.
GAIL these things were done, not in loose
or slip-slop way, but with the precision OF
scientific process. 1t may be said that the
plague was instantly stayed; only three GER
tain cases of infection having occurred sub
sequent to the adoption of these measures"
In conclusion he says:
"On the 9th Of June, 1871, Ventured to
express myself thus: With their respective
viruses you may plant typhoid.fever, scarla-
tina. or smallpox. What are the crops that
arise from this husbandry? As surely as
thistle arises from tbistle-seed, as surely as
fig comes from the fig, the grape from the
grspe, and the thorn from the thorn, so
Surely does the typhoid-virus increase
and multiply into typhoid-feVer, the
scnrlatina virus into scarlatina, the small
pox virus into smallpox. What is the
conclusion that suggests itself here5 1t is
this: that the thing which we vaguely call
virus is to all intents and purposes seed;
that, excluding the notion of vitality, in the
whole range Of chemical science you cannot
noint to an action which illustrates this per.
feet paraleism with the phenomena of life
this demonstrated power of self.multiplica.
ton and reproduction
ANOTHER LETTER FROM PROFESSOR TYHDALL.
The London Times publishes second let
ter, dated November 10, in regard to typhoid
fever, from Professor John Tyndall. The
letter says:
It is not my intention to enter into any
controversy as to the points raised IN the
letter which you did me the honor to pub
lish, for the mind which does not see the
strength of the argument as it now stands
would hardly be convinced by controversy.
I would, however, thank you for permission
to say au additional explanatory word.
1t is regarded by some as ga flaw in the
argument that have not been able to point
to the beginning of typhoid.fever.. Now, If
the fever, as alleged, be the produce OF an
organism, it appears to me that one might
be US fairly asked topoint out the beginning
of mushrooms in order to prove that they
are propagated by seeds
And as regards the argument that typ hoid-
fever occurs where the cOntagion cannot be
traced. I would oppose to it the enlightened
remarks of Sir Thomas Watson, who has
stood forth rs a light amid the darkness
which has surrounded this question: " The
argument would be equally valid in favor Of
the spontaneous origin of smallpox. There
are thousand unsupported ways in which
the invisibls contagion may be conveyed. 1t
NAV Turk in a hackney-eoach !; you may catch
the complaint from your neighbor in an
omnibus. in a theatre, or at a concert; at
church, or in a casual, jostliDg crowd. Your
linen may be impregnated with it at the
house of hundress, or your coat may bring
it from the workshop of your tailor; nay, /!
have heard it affirmed that the contagion Oh
smallpox has been carried 10 letter"
The same eminent authority will help me 10
express myself upon another point: Mino ,