Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-10-04
DTPHTHERT1.
Ets Causes, Spread and Prevention.

tFrom tho Bennington Banner, Sept. 19.l
At meeting of the Bennington County
and Hoosac Medical Society. held early in the
summer. Drs. +. w. Goodall of Bennington,
L. W. Rogers of South Shaftsbury, and S.
W. Scott of Pownal were appointed a COM
mittee to look up authority concerning diph-
liberia and report The result of their inves-
tigations was read before a meeting of the So
ciety yesterday and adopted 1t being of so
much general interest at this time, we give it
entire, as follows:
Mr.. President AS chairman Of your COM
mit,ec to report upon the causes, spread, and
prevention of diphtheria, and having been ad-
vised by my colleagues, Drs. Rogers and
Scott, concerning many of the topics to be
considered, do most respectfully submit the
following.
find but few causes susceptible of mathe-
matical demonstration and have considered
only such primary and predisposing causes as
are within the control of individuals, and
much that is said applies equally to the causes,
spread and prevention of typhoid fever, dys-
entery, yellow fever, scarlet fever and all 9th
er putrid diseases. Diphtheria may arise in
every conceivable form and variety Of loca-
ton soil, climate and sanitary condition. It
may occ-- in elevated, dry, sandy, rocky or
mountainous districts, equally fatal with cpl
denies in low, moist, swampy, miasmatic, or
alluvial districts. 1t invades the most filthy
apartments, and the most cleanly in the midst
of the most perfect sanitary surroundings so
far as discoyerable by our imperfect tests.
No cases of the disease ever arose unless con-
tracted by the contagion from another patient,
without some general or local cause, usually
local and discoverable.
Diphtheria is supposed to have originated
in Egypt over two thousand years ago, and to
the peculiar conformation of the country with
the annual flooding of the Niles and the de-
caying animal and vegetable matter, and i'm
prudence of the people in an almost torrid
sun is attributed the original source of the
disease. Its successive march into Asia, Eu-
rope and America can with great precision be
traced in the wake of filth, pollution or in
temperance, giving rise to miasma in some
instances of great malignancy.
What is miasma? 1t is now used more def
initely for any emanation, either from the
bodies of the sick or from animal and vegeta-
BILE substances, or from the earth, especially
in marshy districts, capable of causing dis
ease in many of those who are exposed to its
action To particularize the sources of MAS
ma may not be amiss in this report Among
them the most frequent are personal filth,
dirty damp apartments imperfect sink drains
privies, filthy water, pig sites, heneries and
piles of decomposing animal and vegetable
matter and emanations from the sick, the
breath, expectoration, false membrane and
excretions
A foul sink drain, Imperfect sewer or eel
lar drain obstructed with dead rats or decom-
posing vegetables, may flood house with
the most malignant pestilence. Wooden
floors to cellars are always dangerous, not on
ly from their decomposition, but by covering
a mess of filth, and decomposing animal and
vegetable matter A damp, dark, unventil-
ated, musty cellar or one containing decay
ing potatoes, apples, cabbage and squash,
and decomposing meats, and musty meat bar
rels, is a fearful source of miasma. Many a
time have inquired into condition of the eel
lar where disease was rife, and been assured
by the tidy housewife that it was perfect, and
obtaining permission to go into it, found the
above picture not overdrawn this is alike
true of the farmer, villager and denizen of the
city, illustrating how falsely our senses are
educated in thinking that the closed and
carefully busted parlor, and preternaturally
scrubbed floor, are the essentials of neatness,
or a chance cobweb, or the children's Glitter
of a few hours play outrank in Nervousness a
defective drain, badly conducted priyy, a
sour swamp or kitchen cesspool.
Privies and imperfecty constructed water
closets are a more prolific source of miasma
than is generally recognized. Many one
has no means of ventilation, and some vaults
are not emptied in a generation.
Underground sinks for the discharge of
soil pipes and other kinds of sewage may be
fearful in their results, giving rise to a mias-
ma producing the most putrid forms of dis
ease. 1t is well established fact that we not
only have water percolating into the earth
from all sources of surface water, but it il
equally fact that we have subterranean VA
ter streams of various sizes in great profusion
meandering through the earth, following the
'dip" or tilted strata.
1t may not be pleasant to know that the
| subterTanean stream supplying your well