The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-09-27
PEsTILENrIAL CLEANLINESS,



Tho Chinese Laundry as a Plague DIsssmInator- -
Horrible Revelations or a rhysicIan's Micro-
scope.
on the 2st Of last July Dr. Evan Mordaunt, Of
2la Second avenue, New York, was called In to at
tend young man named George TIcitzei, who re-
sided at COZ East ono Hundred and Ninth street, of
thc same city, and who was suffering from very
IL Will be best TO let the doctor describe in his own
language what he saw; lie said:
"The patient, who H. employed In vanishing
man-Amerlcan OF about twenty-eeht, presented a
very singular appearance Ills face was bright red
with SMALL irregular patches OF white that stood out
In relief like the Jumps in heat rash or hives lie
had an anxious expression, and his lips were dry
and brown. Al the base the brain, Just over the
ccrylcal verebfin, were several carbuncuar bolls
differing from the ordinary anhorax In the fact that
they were whitlsh yellow Instead OF purple, and
horribly dls,ended with offensive pus. Ills neck
was also pitted with u'cerations, none OF which
seemed TO clcatrlsc but had evidently been Slough
4 made Up my mind that the urgent cause OF the
Ulcers was due TO local Irritation and poisoning, the
patients constitution being clearly free from any
Examining the fauccs, found no mucus patches or
other suggestive Indications ma although the tongue
and stubborn Intestinal fever.
"After applying an antiseptlc dressing and pre-.
scribing cautious system OF Alternatives. bent all
could ees but little help from ny patient who
seemed to be fairly intelligent and very respecta-
period to young ACKNOWLEDGMENT. IIe con-
vinced me that his habits were reasonably proper
and discreet, and no explanation could be found In
al subjected some OF the purulent secretions from
his sores TO microscopic investigation and was horr
vlvacIous and energetic kind. The bacterial germs
were fuller OF life and movement than had ever
seen them, and some OF the forms were much larger
| and more complex than recoected TO have OBJ
served In any other case.
Ut was clearly blood poisoning by anlmalcuar
Next day my patient Informed that his aunt at
tributed the origin Of his mysterious and horrible
Of his neck had been chAfed BY shirt collar. This
set me to thinking, and obtained one Of his collars
to examine: II was s very stia one with rather
vey hint Of It's relations to the case.
/ night, and In the morning microscoplcaly examined
the solution. il fairly swarmed with the energetic
animalcules to which have alluded. The slide was
crowded by them, and their vitality was simply
marvellous.
~ soon got another collar aui examined IT in
with that instrument saw he surface Was dotted
here and there irregnlarly with small patches Of
one OF these patches, which was about the twentieth
part OF an inch In diameter, placed 1t under high
power objective IN my microscope.
at fairly brlsed with dormant animalcuG.
They were packed Into Its limits like sarnes TO use
| common expression. None OF them moved, and
they looked like the fossil skeletons of brisorfd.
"The application of tiny drop of water about
GOo temperature had o magical elect on the micro
on the lbs Of the sesphr Beauty
an instant the hdeous wilderness Of germs sprang
Into life aud notion. Each lOathsOme bdcteru,n and
| bacillus began TO move and assert his disgusting
| existence.
"That drop of moisture had the influence Of
wizards spell, and the consequences world Of
| death into active life.
III at once asceriaIned from my patient that he
had his clothes washed at Chinese laundry Sec
ond avenue. Curious to trace the infusoria poison
to lts source. hastily went there and discovered
shirts and collars. tin cup stood near them, from
which each would In turn take a Sip of water. 4 his
ne would squirt through the teeth In iine shower
finely atomlzed and very. Dense.
"The tin cup was half full when got there, and
the saliva OF the Cinnamon was easily distinguished.
had fortified myself with a small piece OF sponge,
which dipped In the cup, absorbing about an ounce
GAS soon as got home hurrIetly subjected my
prize to the microscope. You have. OF course an
| tic!pated me. Each drop was a seethng, writhing,
most disgusting kind.
"ln other words, had found the poisonous cause
OF my patients lOathsOme maajy In the saliva Of
the Chinaman who ironed and spat upon his shirt.
"1n consultation with some brother physicians l
cnnd that tasy had recently observed IN their prac-
and experience had been entirely baffled. They re-
peated my experiments anu arrived at precisely
have occurred yet, but the hide0us disease IL very
ntractabc, and In more instances than should like
able constitutional disorganlzatona"
"To what do you attribute this hdeous power in
| the saliva Of the Chnense?"
i the singular conditions which 30 often BECOME
leprosy and eephantiasis In them. Recent invesli-
leprosy is not skin disease 1t is an aiection
Of the entire SYSTEM and is due to powerful germlnal
tainis The blood trst, and then an the secretons
become saturated with these indestructlble animal
cular elementa. That they are indestructible is
proved by the fact that not even the hot irons i'm
pressed upon them have any fatal effect. You will
remember, also, that the lnteat theory advanced in
respect to Asaiic cholera is that Its germs are dis
trbuted and not destroyed by the cremation OF the
smoke Of the funeral pyre acts as vehicle for the
distribution Of the deadly germs"
physlcian, OF Lexington avenue who has quite a
reputation as microscopic investigator, and who
most thoroughly scientific authority on germ matters
In this country; said:
"While do moi know DR.. Moriannt, can agree
easily with his conclusions. This whole subject OF
the transmission OF germs of the profonndes,
Importance both In physics and therapeutics. Every
day brings fresh discoveries in the field, and Dr..
Mordaunta 10 only confirmation of those of others
THE saliva Of any animal u full Of characteristics
ple we all know thai the saliva OF SOUND dog may
be bestowed upon an open wound. with all II pores
gaping, and do no harm But let the saliva Of dog
that has undergone the constitutional change we
Cali idotrS be dropped upon that same wound.
What a differencei Every particle of that saliva,
with Observation-Disclosures that are ceaseleasly null
tlplying and expanding until the poor blood revois
a. the intrasi9ns and stands agnast. and the whole
human machine succumbs with appalling crashes
and commissions to the energy of billions and billions
Of deadly foes that It takes the highest power OF
microscope to discover"
| "The leprous poison Ia In the saliva plus other
constitutional poaons which comes from the mucous
| membrane. And II you offer to these teeming my
rlads OF adversarleg such breach In your fortica-
ton az an open sore or an abraded surface you
Invite into your own veins the unspeakabe things
which, unseen and Unreasonable, are eating up the
blood and the flesh and the tissues Of the people of
| China
"Then you consider the Chinese laundries posi-
| tive source Of danger to the community"
I" consider them nests OF germ pOisons, disribu.
tories whence will he radated through our Caucasian
society not only the vices but the physical venom
which Is eating like cancer the entire NOng0lian
race Eran HIGGINS IN National Laandrv