, 1877-07-15


While thus yon challenge fate,
Whether 1t would not be better
To kiss his mother straight"
philadelphia Press.
SCARLET FEVER AND ITS PR0PHYLAXlS.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
CHICAGO, July 13.-Anv substance that will
act as prophylactic in arresting the ravages ot
this dreadful scourge will, we are persuaded,
lie hailed with great joy, especially by the citi-
zeps OF Chicago. when they take into consfdera-
tfon that in the last fourteen months there
have been 1000 cases Of scarlatina in this city
alone, with mortality OF one death in every
five and three-quarter cases attacked with the
disease. Many substances have been RECON-
ncntled as prophylactics in this disease, none OF
which have stood the test In actual practice, aud
re ure compelled to look further, aud, In doing
sd. VIC will have to look little into its etiology.
what is the cause OF this disease that, so far,
has e1uded, even with the aid of the most pow
erfu1 microscope, all scientic Investigations The
nearest that science has approached to its
cause Is that it is zymottc poison,
producing septic disease in the sys-
tcm, with all its disastrous effects, and
all observation indicates that this zymottc pois-
on is not volatile gas, but solid organized
substance, containing within it 4 specific pois-
on (spiritua substancc) capab1e OF producing
scarlet fever, and nothing but scarlet fever,
whenever taken into the system, either by in
ha]ution or absorption. These infusoria that
contain the contagion OF scarlet fever have an
extraordinary teEacity. They huyc been known
TO adhere to clothing, furniture straw, etc., 1or
poison Prof. T. Watson, In bis lecture on the
Print iplcs aud Practice OF Medicine, gives an
instance where there had been several cases in
house. The house was vacated one YEAR, tue
family returned. {" a drawer in Que OF the bed
rooms resisted for some time the attempts to
pull it open. 1t Was found that piece OF fan-
mel had got between tile drawer and It's frame,
and had made the drawer stick. This piece OF
flannel the louscmaid nut playfully round her
neck, An old nurse, who was present, recog-
rizjpg i, is having been used for an application
to the throat OF one OF the former subjects Of
scarlet feyer, snatci'ed it from her and burned
it. The girl soon sckcncd with scarlet fever, and
the disease ran second time through the house
hold, affecting those who had not Ind 1t on tile
first occasiOn."
Zcplpen, in the Cyclopeda of Practical Med
iciue, speaking Of its etiology, cites number
Of cases remarkable as tho aboyes otlc in which
the disease was carried many miles IN !et1cr
to friends. This evidence annihilates the theory
that the poison that produces scarlat1na IS
easrous substance, for no gas could be confined
one and two years in loose clothes, or sent oy
letter hundreds Of miles.
a.; MANY pi;s 1,nti nnison IN the htond sf
t,s' ts sd1nr;n, rom sraratjna for the canse of
In I;s"asc herase tho blood was found loaded
with myriads Of bacteria {micrococci), micro
tnsett;,r th,t zrn,ot;r ard sentfr nrfsions art
upon the blood-making organs so US to destroy
the life Of the blood, producing state OF pu-,
trcfaction with all its attendant bacteria. as
noted above. These same rod-like active boslies
T. ,,,n,,, a. ~ dcscrhcI hr 0rtel Il, <nh
+ier;a hv el,crt in As;atic cholera. Herly and
sa1.,a,,,-, ~ ~ ,',oiar;al fcvcr and cihn,isfar in
t..,.n;d Tarnr Thosa rrprtohje orranisma
t}paoa nd lgitr bcc+era1 heinz faun,, in 80 many
ysaasas shnv ~ oncc thot they are nnlr m IT.
~. af ,,,trefst;om r., The ho1 and not the
io.1 i,o,,so -. II tha disease
eti;h When h1ond is taken from patient suffering
frnt nem enor1at;na and ;nn'nl,tciI intn heaithr
Ia,aa,, o.'l +hot has not ho the disease sarlet
oe.son Iii ;not ~ ~ -,yodoo; T hrt # ia Llo,d ha
t.,,o m frn,n natirnt snfTcrins frnm tvnhoid
sas1 ~ 5;r,t s1or,aI tever viii no+ Ii nro.
ieve. ,, VI pt,r;thttar1;no ~, 1on1 uso9 wec
,,;th thaso rn1.lIo ort;re hoI;cs hastnr;o
n1,i hastnr;da hnt a rnn1ionant scntj disease
.u n;, Ia 49,, rae,,1t nror;nn t,at tha rontne;on
~ I'ro1ucoe scar1atina ia nnison macmillan to
;,ea1f N1f;nT MT onlv Tie htno1. sccret;ons ar
-..;',,. 80 ~ nHJmonarv ry,nIat.,ns i,,.t -
t;;t,,o;.sa +hat + 1lls nIl thu atmosnhcre of n
I,.a ,vhe-a thnre H. y not,ent snffcr;to u;t, thr
i:saasa prnr Tvndoii Eas f,uni1 thot If tbe
s1eoi1as+ onss;hje onant;ty ri these inf,,sor;a
orc rnm,nnn;catetl to \ PERFECTLY sterilized inf1
;,' ~ a,,r r;n1 r. causes Il in twentv honrs 10
,,ar,', -. Nth NJ ,ntrofa.t;ye orranisms Th;e nv
sM.tl.' % ,h. T.n 81 fe nf III scariet fercr
r11uoe sch destructjon in thc hind in 81 short
= ~ eta.+c ~ ;nrnhatinn. "''>'"
W. .ro ~ ,,n- nrcrora5 +o +ot-o nm and ;7;ocrsa
Art h.I;o t:"" XII roo - ha tha +r. ~
s1iaa+; nat ~ earlt foror statist;ns sho1g tra+
ps'e 49,. I ie w ~ ,xsaat lao1 :, - n,th ~ 49,
.1,s,,a;t;o, @+o the disoose ia 1r.,fnst
uep m optai;tv being from The seeond to The