The daily gazette. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1874-1883, 1881-03-15
SMALLPOX.

| THE ORIGIN AND TREATMENT OF THE
DIsEAsE--PREvEETIv MEASURES.
The cause of smallpox 10 universally
| admitted to be specific eontagion, the
nature of which medical research has
thus failed 10 discover. No disease Is in
all probability so contagious. A
prominent physician who has given par
| iicular attention to 1t, and has had
very wide and varied experience in its
treatment, said, eighty years ago. that
he had never known single instance in
which persons liable to smallpox could
pass any time with patient In the same
chamber without taking the infection.
| There have been instances where the
| poisonous efiiuvium has crossed river
| 1900 feet wide and affected ten out of
twelve workmen on the other side. The
contagion acts through the air, by con.
tact with the skin or by incubation, and
may be impaired by corpse which has
not been touched. just what products
OF the disease body are contagious are
not precisely known, but that the con-
tents of the pustules and dried scabs are
SO has been definitely ascertained. Med
ical opinion d fiers as to the period when
the disorder begins and ceases TO be con-
tagious, but it is prudent to believe it
capable of self-propogation as soon as
the febrile symptoms have declared
themselves. How soon the patient
ceases 10 be dangerous has not been de-
termined accurately; but the stability
of the contagious principle may be in-
ferTed from the fact that clothing will
retain it for months and for years, IL is
said, when conired. Smallpox ap-
pears, like all contagious exanthemata.
III epidemic form at irregular, and, as
lar as can be learned, at capricious IN
tervals.
After an extraordinary exemption.
perhaps for years, district NAV be
suddenly invaded by it, where it will
continue TO prevail for longer or
shorter period, and then spontaneously
disappear, not to be revived for pro-
tracted period. Epidemics differ much
IN intensity and isolated cases are
generally milder than where the dis
temper RACES. Race has a good deal
to do with the severity of this disease.
the dark races notably the negro and
our aboriginals, being very susceptible
to It, and showing very little power to
resist it. Although vaccination is gem
orally acknowledged to be a preven-
tive, some physicians have recently
declared it to be but partially effective
Small pox, while 1T continues to be |
very dangerous, is far less SO than it |
used to be. At one time the propor.
tlon oil deaths to cases was one to four. |
1t Is more apt to prove fatal in child |
hood and old age than in the nterven- |
ing period. In former times the erup.
ton was believed TO be an effort of ma.
ture to get rid of noxious matter, and |
and heating measures
were therefore adopted to that end
The history of the loathsome disease
is rather obscure. There is no evil
dence that the Greek or Arabian wri-
tiers OF the sixth century knew any,
thing Of it. The first accurate ac-
count Of it was given by Rhazes, an
Arabian ply stefan, who lived in the
early part of the tenth century. 1t
seems to have reached England 100
years later, and after the Crusades, it
prevailed in the temperate regions of
Africa, but not in the far North until
some time later. Early in the six
teenth century it was carried from
Europe to the New World, where it
ragged fnriously, killing $500, 900 of |
people in Mexico alone. In 1907 it |
was introduced into Iceland, and near
y one-fourth ofIhe entire population
.ell victims TO it. and, 20 years later, it
nearly depopulated Greenland. These
corroborate the well found
I'd opinion that contagious diseases
Ire always most yirulent when they
irst occurin country or region that
hey have not before visited.