Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-01-01
mabIlss|
Causes Of tgNP.


4 \ DRUNKARD,s WIFE.
btss assAsr
,s..as asfsisl. Causes of Ague.
Is xalPikc, in his " Mauritius, quotes
4 III D34e.tcle on tie " Causes Of Ague,
ne facts that may interest dWcllers III
bilious and infected districts:
- The fertile source of de>olation and
disease consists of incalculable myriad> OF
microscopic cells suspended in the atmoS-
pherc over wasted marshy districts. They
are minute. oblong cells, single or a@gre-
cate. Of the agloid type, and among the
very lowest organisms known. Sometimes
several of these cells or spores are contain
ed iii an outer cell or wall OF delicate in
vcsting membrane to form a plant. OF
these a@uc- plants i formed the @raNish
film wherever damp, black earth Is turned
up and exposed to the sun. These spores,
OF minute seeds. terminating cells, which
Colonel Pike believes may be found in the
cNpectoration of agIc patients, rise into
the air, carrying pc~tilcnce with them.
There are several species of the ague-
plant, the white and yellOWish green va
ricY, which produces aguc> of Slight
intensity. and the only ones known in Eng
land. There are also red and green and
lead colorcd 'a%ue-plamtS, and one >ingu-
lar specie with longer spores, leilN-lIke
protubcIancc- which occur in rich calca-
rcouS soils, and produce feveTS of a dan
gcroU> and con@c>tiVc character. These
cells. with their spores, produce visible IN
crustations of mold on the surface or rc-
Gently exposed mar>h-cuth. The danger
from these groWth> j. greatest in Il hot,
dry season following Il wet one. The wet
ter and hotter. the worse for a man and
the better for malaria The marsh demon
Is verify the pceti,ucc that walkcth in
darkness. 1t seems almost certain that
the spores of the aguc-plant only rise
with the evening dcWS. MicroscopicallN
tested the day air /, free from these organ
i~mS. In different p1rt> of the world these
crvpto~amic spores rise in the n9ht-mi~t>
to definite heights In the nitcd States
they seldom rise from above thirty-iiVe 10
~iNty-live feet above the low lands; in
England, fifteen To thirty feet These
spores are found throughout these yapors,
but do not extend beyond them. and are
found in the greatest abundance in their
upper strata. Intermittent or ague fever
has actually been produced in men by
causing them to inhalc the spores Of these
algp. 1t has long been known that mala-
ria is movable by the wind. The spores
of the ague- plants having risen and he
come cutanglcd in the mst-epores. mist
and all, are blown along together. far he
Ncld the place of gcrmlnatlon. 1t l. easy
to see how volume Of vapor or foo. laden
with it> deadly burden of poi>on-celI>.
may r0n up and hang suspended on the
side of a hill. toward which a wind blows
across an adjacent marsh. Instances have
occurred where the poisonous vapor has
been blown over Il hill and been deposited
on the other side, to the unmitiEated dis
rust of the inhabitants, who imagined
themselves free from their presidential
nei9hbor."
Dr. G. II. Blarhley ha~ recently pub
li,hcd a work in London bearing upon a
kindred theme. entitled " Experimental
Researches in IIa1-frycr lie has the
credit of prov M circum~tanlally what
many others have overwhelmingly, that
the pollen Of plants j. the cNcitin" cause
of thi> disease: and he shows further hv Il
~eric- of thoughtful and most careful eN-
pcrimcnt>. how and in what degree this
influence is exercised. -tt the beginning
Of the volume j. Il full review of the opin-
ions held on the causes OF haN-tcNcr-
opinions which were not Incorrect III the
main. bat which were deficient in ~yie.Il-
tic accuracy. and unsupported by any
adc Iuatc array of evidence. The follow
inr chapters give an account of the an
thor'S experiments with the presumed
causes of haN-feVer; such H. dust, ozone
coummine benzoic-acid, light and heat,
and many varieties of pollen. lie con-
cludc- that pollen OF all kinds will give
rise to some Of the symptoms OF haN-ieN cr,
and that I'LL the other So-callcd cau~e> have
little or nothing to do with generating" the
disease The pollen rises to high attitudes.
and is carried far by atmospheric currents: &:
and the author makes the curious discovery
that the pollen is chiefly found i'll the zone
OF atmosphere above the belt Immediately
around the earth, whence it probably de
ScendS under circumstances IL Vet un-
known. Dr. Blackley is disposed to think
that the well-knoWn cat-asthma is really
caused by the carriage of pollen iii the fur
of the animal. 1t i perhaps scarcely fair
to complain tIrit the able cNperimenter
has not reduced this suspicion also to II
certainty The chapter on the symptoms
and nature of the disorder scarcely admits
of much novelty; but it is written intelli-
gently and conciselv. While we regret
that the crowninm of the whole inquiry is
not vet to be attained in the discovery of
Il cure, yet we are pleased to see that DR..
Blacklcy does not forget-as scientific pa
biologists forget too oftcn-that in thcra-
pcutics alone the true end of such studies
must ever be found. He says that the way
to discover the cure, lies first i'll 4 diligent
search into the causes and nature of the
disorder. Il am. he adds, ." at present
engaged i'll experiments on the action of
various agents, and hope to be successful
in my search for an effectual remedy. -
Lolics' Rcpository, for January, 1874.