The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-08-07

case with almost all contagious diseases. We
are aware of the Importance OF certain
factors In establishing the character OF a
disease. No educated physician will deny
this. But II there exists such Dependent
| ey from external or individual causes,
where lies the important point to guide us in
| establishing the character 81 the disease?
person coming In contact with such disease
may not incline to contract 1t, on account OF
| his constitution or organization. or even his
| temporary indisposition. But to Judge from a
personal indsposition or because a man has
! i'soiled his fingers OF even Immersed his
! whole body in the et1luvia OF D disease without
| becoming infected" and such probably in op-
| position OF hundred others, succulnbing I'm
| Der similar circumstances, to pronounce dis
ease not 70 DC contagious Is Illogical and as
absurd as 1t Is irrational. Such doctrine
ought not to come from a man who claims to
be an educated physician.
In some contagious diseases-and this is
generally the case with the so-called surgical
diseases like crysipelas, hospital gangrene,
puerperal fever, septiealma, pyapmia and
diphtherla-it Is not decided yet Il the conta-
gion always belongs to those micrdscopieal
organisms called bacterim, monades, micro
caici. etc, or II these are not concomtant
phenomena, appearing where the soil for
their existence Is present The baetern, no
DOUBT, may under circumstances become the
carriers OF the contagion, but If the original
disease where they have been met with was
caused by them - yet an open question. In
ments and Investigations how these minute
organisms act. We know that by entering the
red blood and corpuscles Of the blood, which
they alter In their form, retarding the flow of
the blood. causing thereby stasis OF the lat
ter. they may become detrimental to the life
Of the Individual. But in the majority
OF these diseases the action OF the contagion
is yet enveoped in darkness. Not different
e 1t with the contagion OF yellow fever.
Though we have not been able to point 1t out,
yet we are still able to specify some OF its
characteristic phenomena. We know 1t to be
heterogeneous substance, with only o limited
power OF dissemination. II Is not carried by
the air to distant localities like the contagion
Of small pox. cholera, measles etc We know
that 1t has the facility OF STANDARDIZATION
or propagation It Is more than probable
that we will never be enabled to render 1t visi-
ble, and this on account Of its physical consti-
like our atmospheric air and other gas 8
are invisible because they do not reflect
the light; but on that account nobody will
deprive them Of the attributes Of matter.
missible and communicable by immediate
and mediate contact from room to room,
from house to house and from village to vii
lage wherever communication between per- |
sons exists could be proven by hundreds Of
mefiical men, as well as laymen who had any |
experience and opportunity OF observation
during our last epidemic. In the epidemic of
1929, the first experienced and the true his
tory OF which, as an imported disease, has yet
to be written tbut which will be done i'm the |
next contribution, | have seen q man arrv-
ing In the city from place free from the dis |
ease, coming IN contact with friend sick with |
the fever, and though the visit lasted but |.
few minutes, he fell sick some hours after
wards and died on theninth day. During our
last epidemic, where the disease progressed |
and extended into the country, saw the dis |
ease arrested In village where oil commu-
nication was stopped by the so-called shot
gun quarantine, to break out again
III the next village. only a,few miles distant, |
where the comm llnication was again per-
mitted and trade not interfered with. Such |
are facts and observations made probably by |
hundreds OF men OF sound mind, and this ex-
perience would undoubtedly be the cause, in
case OF another epidemic to again establish |
lust such shotgun guarantees everywhere,
all ordinances OF magistrates and even of the |
general government to the contrary notwth- |
standing; and Ii those quil-drivers, who find !
II 50 cheap and entertaining matter to fill |
the pages OF the daily papers with their I
chronic opposition to boards Of health and |
lamentations about quarantines, we're curious
TO lind out what those people in the country
think of them and their lucublations we
would advise them to 60 once among them;
yet where they would have to look for their
bones on the morning subsequent to such an
drgunentam ad hominem we are unable to
predict.
1t would be ridiculous to lengthen this
writing any further ~ order to demonstrate
that yellow fever could be any other but
o contagious and exportable disease, and
that 1t Is not sthe effect OF local causes as
the learned professor will have it. or ''of
nun That much-abused and malighed
human matter the sick had
not deposited before the first case OF vel
low fever occurred; but this will be ventil-
ated In the next article:
NJ. ScHUPPERT, NJ. d.