Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-06-22
Infectious and Contagious Dissasea

A411aL4u4a 11u CONTAGIOUS G11ElEaas
Farmers Review: There is, In the
minds of most people, an uncertainty
as to the proper application Of the
terms @contagious" and infectious" in
speaking of the diseases of animals.
The noted pathoIogist, DR.. F. S. Bill
lings, in his first report from the
archaeological laboratory of the uni
versity of Nebraska, a copy of which
valuable work. dealing principally with
the southern cattle plague and yellow
fever, has been received, gives the fol-
lowing definitions of the two terms,
which VIII be most helpful to our read
ers. Says he:
What constitutes a contagious dis
ease? A contagious disease is one
which finds its primary and only origin
in some given animal species, and pass
es directly from one animal to another
of the same species, or to healthy ami
mails Of that species, either by direct
contact or from their coming in contact
with some effluvia, secretion or other
material which has come from an al
ready diseased animal. Examples
Contagious pleurO- pneumonia and the
rinderpest. The above definition is,
! however, too narrow to include all the
! infectious attributes of 8 contagious
/ disease When a contagious disease
invariably finds it's primary origin in
| some one species of animal life, they
are not all, like the above, limited to
/ that one species ia their action; there
/ are some which, while having such ra-
cial origin, still have the ability to in
! feet other species of animal life than
/ that In which they primarily occur and
/ in which they are generally found. Elk
amples: Rabies, CHAMBERS and the foot
and mouth disease, all of which are an
/ imal diseases, as well as the small poX
in man. How then does an infectious
! differ from a contagious disease. In
! this way An infectious disease is one
! which invariably finds its primary or
| igin, not In but outside of an animal
! organism. That is, in the earth where
its micrObic cause develops under GER
tain conditions of the climate and soil
/ which offer favorable climatic and tel
/ luric influences to its development.
! Such diseases are alwys local in their
! origin. The origin bears the same re-
latiOn to infectious diseases that the
! animal organism does to contagious
/ that is, they both form the primary cen
/ tire Of development in their respective
/ class; but with this difference, the TO-
! Gus of primary infection is fixed in in
! fictitious diseases, while it is movable in
contagious. Much uncertainty and am
biguity has risen in the minds of prac-
titioners with regard to infectious dis
! eases, because, under favorable circum-
stances, infected individuals can be-
/ come the means of their extension Gin
] directly between diseased and healthy
individuals. Hence, without any ma.
ture reflection such diseases have otter
been pronounced contagious In fact
there is far too much laxity in vogue
far too much ignorance of the philOso
sophical use of medical technology
among physicians upon this very i'm
portant point, which has led to mucI
unnecessary confusion in the minds o.
the laity, and renders it unnecessarily
difficult to bring them to a clear un
derstanding of suitable and applicable
means of prevention.