The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-12-02

hensive sweep the solution of the
origin and development of disease,
and suggest implicitly. if not the
means of its cure, ut least, the means
of its prevention.
Man in his normal state is healthy
animal, and the diseases to which he
has become subject, apprehend to
be attributable to three primary
causes. First: The infractiOn of
some law or laws pertaining to his
physical organization. Second
Hereditary bias to disease, - and
Third His environment or the con-
ditiOns Of soil, water, air, diet and
other circumstances which surround
him. become measurably incorpor-
ated with his physical organization,
and are calculated to produce disease.
Hereditary bias to disease presup-
poses some infractiOn of law by a
remote or near ancestor or ancestors,
or the presence with such ancestors
of some of the conditions producing
disease which is mentioned above as
the third primary cause.
In regard to diseases which arise
from the infraction of physical laws,
will offer only few observations.
The early Romans were Il healthy
and vigorous lace: their habits of
life were simple. Women were held
in the highest respect, as among the
ancient Germans, and were the social
equals, not the slaves of men; and
notwithstanding the rape of the
Sabine women, an early event which
seemed a political necessity for the
purpose of peOpling the city, the
social virtues of the Romans for
several centuries were pre-eminent.
The story of Lucretia is an indication
of the estimation in which that
people held social crime; and it is
safe to say that these conquerOrs of
the world before they had become
enervated by wealth, idleness and
luxury, lived, in the main, in accord.
ance with the laws of Nature. The
vices of Rome, however, when she
had arrived at universal empire and
before her downfall were horrible
and prodigious, all classes sinking
to the lowest infamy. Spain became
corrupted and enfeebled and lost her
leading place among European IA.
tions by means Of the same causes by
which she had acquired it. the
pouring in of wealth from her
American conquests and England in
the last century ran narrow chance
of meeting the same fate, through
the same colonial cause, her posses
sions in India stimulating the most
excessive greed, and being the source
of the most prodigiOus fortunes, &C.
quired by cruelty. rapine and murder.
Our large cities are degraded states
in miniature the rich corrupt the
poor and the poor corrupt the rich
and among the middle class there is
a growing moral pollution, which
needs only to be known to be APP
preciated. There is no doubt, and
history is full of proof of it, that vast
accumulation of wealth is followed
by moral and physical degeneracy.
Religion among the masses is an
excellent sanitary agency: when the
conscience is restrained, vices will be
few. Free thinkers may readily
cOncede this. But when State
grows old, many of the wealthy
classes. though outwardly attentive
| to its forms, are practically beyond
the influence of religion, and are
without any compensating faith in
the moral elements which hold the
world together. l do not mean to
say that this class, from which none
of us are willingly excluded, does not
possess many admirable traits and
furnish many examples of genuine
manhood. / am only speaking of the
general tendency OF wealth. A cor
receive is manifesting itself with
good results. Vast enterprises are
carried on by wealth, which, though
intended for further accumulation,
are in practical effect public benevo'
lences and in these enterprises it
enforces discipline as salutary rs
hygiene. The nobility of England
take pride in spending considerable
part of their incomes on their estates,
which in reality is for the benefit of
their tenants and there is growing
feeling in this country among the
wealthy that the chief object of
riches is not the qualification of the
senses and passions to safety; and
an increasing sensitiveness to public
appreciation, when money is bestowed
| for the endowment of charitable or
educational institutions, or in other
respects for the public good. n
generous emulation in this direction
viii he productive of much utility
it will create an escape for the germs
of vice. When liberality to good
ends becomes a habit, wealth will be
shOrn of half of its mischief. But
poverty and wealth, the two extremes
of society, will. no doubt, for many
generations be the prolific source of
denominations, crimes, physical suf.
fering, disease and death.
l will hazard the statement that in
relation to her living organisms
which have become diseased from
whatsoever cause, the processes of
Nature are curative; that she con-
stantly and by we'll directed energies
seeks to rehabilitate the impaired
organ, and if the disease be not
mortal, she will, either in one gener-
alton or another, under the prevalence
of proper sanitary rules, and if neces.
sary, by aid of the physicians skill,
finally uproot and destroy the germs
of disease and effect permanent
cure. am the more willing to be.
lieye this of Nature because ! have a
great reverence for her =: know that
she is generous, nay, bountiful, and
that she takes peculiar care of her
children; that she is fOrgiving, long
suffering, slow to wrath and is not so
engrOssed with her great purposes
that she cannot turn aside to deeds
of charity and mercy. Her mute
creatures of the woods which men
hunt and slay for mere pastime, she
teaches to be their own physicians,
and, when wounded or MANNED by
accident or mans cruelty, to seek out
sfiicacious plants which soothe and
cure. The scars made upon her face
by the vandalism of man, she heals
over with verdant fields and waving
forests, 30 that, what was before a
barren desolation, becomes, under
her magic wand, a thing of beauty
and a constant joy. She has laid
deep in her foundations fountains OF
medicinal virtues for mans healing
Her policy dictated by immutable
, laws is aminently conservative
preventative.
II was given to understand wher
!; invited to read this paper, that &C
curate information was not expected
r but only the views of lawyer, anf
, I will again hazard a statement thai
: statistics, which I have rever con
suited, will show, that the person,
, who die of hereditary disease ar,