Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-01-29

the Irish famine OF Q starving and fe-
stricken people, and its houses,
densely built together, back to back
and overcrowded, still formed the
principal centre for typhus in Eng
land. Coming next to typhoid fever,
special prominence was given to the
great results which followed on the
final differentiation of this dis
ease from typhus by Sir William
Jenner. Then. for the first time, the
different causes of the two diseases
was understood. and then it was that
the needed remedy could be applied
intelliQently. 1t was SION also recog-
nized that the typhoid was due to
specific infection which found it's
indus in conditions brought about hv
failure to deal properly with the solid
and liquid refuse of populations. And,
later on, the operation of the infection
was traced to channels obscure and
hitherto unsuspected, but it always
operated through the agency of
filth, which it became neces-
sary, in the interests of health,
always to regard as potentially
poisonous to man. Then came DIR.
Ballard's discovery of the communi
cation of typhoid through the agency
of milk supply; frozen creams and
spices were found to act as vehicles of
the infection; intermittent wafer SER
vice led to its distribution and the
potency of the infection was found to
such that, even when present in
potable water in quantities that were
infnitesimal and altogether beyond
the reach of discovery by chemistry
or physics, it could. as in the Cater
ham epidemic, lead to widespread
disaster.
On the lines indicated by these va
rious discoveries action was widely
taken, and at the present moment the
expenditure OF this country on sani-
tary work aimed essentially at the re-
moval Of conditions favorable to this
and allied diseases reaches a sum of
over e8,000,000 per annum. Steadily
with this expenditure have the deaths
from this typhoid fever diminished,
and between. 1869 and the present
date the rate per 10000 has
fallen from SO to IL. In a
similar wav the progress of
our knowledge in the prevention
of scarlet fever, diphtheria, phthisis,
and cholera was considered. and espe-
cial prominence was given to Mr..
Powers recent researches as to the
connection which existed between
scarlet fever in man and correspond
6.onncA IN, ,nsIoh TL1
was mnch reason to believe that we
were on the verge of i'm portant dis
coveries as to the dependence of dis
ease in man on affections of the lower
animals, and that these might clear
up many points of obscurity attaching
to the origin OF infection.
In scarlet fever DIR. Klein dis
covered a definite micro-organism
common to man and the COW.
Diphtheria was known to have GER
tain relations to an allied animal
disease, and many observers be-
lieved that phthisis in man had con-
cern with the use as food of the flesh
and milk of tuberculous animals Of
the bovine tribe. The story of the
past fifty years was ore in which the
principles of preventive medicine had
step by step been unraveled and ap-
piled to the saving of human life.
The actual sources of disease had
been laid bare, and in the case of
many communicable affections their
cause had been traced to organisms,
definite in character, always breeding
true, and having known habitats.
The results were shown by the signifi-
cant lessening of the general mortality
and the marked reduction in the
death-rates of the more preventa BILE
diseases; results which involved as a
natural consequence an improved
vitality among the living.-[London
Times.