The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-02-17
Evolution OF Diseases.


day we are led to take an interest in
topics which at first sight might appear
to be of a highly technical nature. The
public, in truth, are being gradually
educated to that standard where N an
appreciation of the advance of scientific
inquiry forms a notable and advanta-
geous feature OF life. IL there is any
means or method whereby we may truly
extend our years of life in respect OF the
en- oyment we obtain from them, that
method is most likely to be found in the
proper use of those faculties whereby
we bring ourselves into harmonious re-
lation withour surroundings. The fore
going remarks apply with force to
subject preached very recently by no
less an authority than Sir James Paget,
che eminent surgeon. Selecting as the
tonic of a lecture delivered before the
ROYAL College of Surgeons at London
as Some New and Rare Diseases Sir
.JamesPaget contrived to place before the
profession and the public alike a series
Of most interesting facts bearing very
intimately on some Of the causes which
shorten and end the human existence 1t
is not too much to say that the old ideas
of disease have been completely over
turned and replaced by newer and more
rational conceptions of causation We
recognize that in some cases diseases
are handed down as heritage of physi-
illogical evil from one generation to an
other. In other cases, where diseases
appear suddenly and spontaneously. we
look narrowly into our ways of living,
our surroundings and our relations to
heat, weather and other cond tons of
life. In many instances we are ale to
lay our finger on the exact causes of
diseases which, but q few years ago,
were deemed OF mystical origin. We
know that fevers are propagated and
disseminated through their material
germs being carried from the infected
TO the healthy household. Conversely,
we know that by isolating and separ-
ating our fever cases we cin prevent
the spread of the fever, just as by strict
attention to the bodily health we can
often ward off the terrible attack alto
gether. The fever, like the broken leg,
has become strictly and fully explica-
BILE; and the growth of sound science in
this respect has an obvious bearing on
the health and welfare of our race
Sir James Paget starts the highly-in-
terestng question in the lecture we have
referred to, ''Why is any disease rare"
The query relates not to rare cases of
disease-as, for example, where we'll
known and common disease may appear
in an uncommon or unusual situation in
the living body-but to cases of all
ments which in themselves are new or
rare. 1t is evident that to-day the
physician and surgeon know of vast
numbers OF diseases which receive no
mention whatever at the hands of Hip
pocrates, Galen, and other classic
writers For instance, govt and rhcu-
matism, ague, and many other COM
plants of humanity, have been recog-
nized and treated from the earliest
phases of medical study. But there are
numerous aim nts which have been
noted and described within compare
lively small period of human ex-
perience. Hence the question arises,
Why do we find no mention of such
diseases in the records of physiciansp
and why do we never find examples OF
such diseased products on the shelves
of our great museumsP The answer to
these questions is by no means so readily
supplied as we might suppose. Doubt
less the improvement of the means for
detecting disease must have enlarged the
experience of the physicians. The
microscopic SICInOSOOpO anu dD-
pliances have enabled us to look below
the sur ace of things, and peer into the
secrets of living histories. The long
roll of diseases owes not a ew of its most
serious items to the dete tive skill OF
she patient worker with the microscope,
lust as close observation of the result oil
disease as witnessed alter death has
proved one of the most valuable means
of assisting and relieving the ailments o
the living. There is also no question thai
many dis asses now well known to us
were simply passed over by the ancients
and by even the preceding generations
10 ours lives. 1t is only some thirty year;
or so since Sir William Jenner showed
clearly that typhoid fever was an entirely
different ailment from typhus fever. Al
Sir James Paget remarks, this observa
ton was one of the "best life-savine
discoveries of this century; before it
both diseases were at least partially mis-
understood, and neither was so wei
treated as now" Proceeding toshow tina
while we may account for certain so
called ''new" diseases by the oversight
of what were in reality common
enough details long ago, Sir Jane
Paget arrives at the gist of his inquiry
in the statement that diseases, lik,
animals and plants themselves, posses
a development. In other words. W.
find diseases known to-day which wer,
unknown even few years ago, and tn,
absence of which from our lists cal
alone be exl lained on the theory tina
the ailments in question are absolutel,
new" and that they have been recently
evolved" There is thus known YER,
singular affection of joints called "Char