Smyrna times., 1888-08-01
WHO CAN EXPLAIN ITf
A Strange Disease on the Little Island Of
st. Kilda--AnOther Story.


st. Kilda-AnOther Story.
Few portions of the habitable earth
have received more attention during the
past three centuries than the little island
of st. Kilda, which lies off the coast Of
Scotland. No people are so strongly at
tached to their home as the inhabitants
of this lonely place. Benevolent persons
in Great Britain have repeatedly offered
to move them all to Australia or Canada,
and to provide for their wants till they
could get established They have, how
ever, always declined these propositions.
The climate of the island is so severe that
it is scarcely endurable, the sea about it is
so tempestuOus at most times that vessels
cannot approach it, while the soil is so
sterile that it will produce little but
grass, potatoes and barley.
The people suffer from cold, hunger
and isolation. 1t is also affirmed that
they suffer from the visits of strangers,
even those who come on errands of mercy.
All writer's on St. Kilda affirm that the
arrival of a vessel is Immediately followed
by a peculiar sort of influenza which af-
fects all the people. Rev. Aulay Mac
aulay, great grandfather of the distin-
guished historian, wrote q work ON st.
Kilda, in which he speaks at length of
this strange disease. Martin who wrote
an account of the island and its inhabi-
tants nearly two hundred years ago, also
refers to it. In giving evidence before
the crOfter commission, the minister of
the island, who is represented as a gen
tleman of great learning, enumerated the
Strangers Cold" as among the principal
affections of the people, and one for
which there was no relief
DR.. Samuel Johnson who was much in
terested in the Highlands of Scotland and
the neighbOring islands, endeavOred to
dispose of the Strangers Cold" by means
of an argument. In an essay he wrote:
''HOw can there be physical effect with
out physical cause? The arrival of a
shipful of strangers would kill them, for
if one stranger gives them one cold, two
strangers must give them two colds, and
so on in proportion The logic was ex-
cellent, but it did not prevent the poor
people of st. Kilda from suffering from a
severe cold for eight or ten days after the
arrival of every vessel. A writer in q
recent number Of Chambers journal de-
clared that the disease actually exists,
and that it is folly to attempt to deny the
fact. He states that there is a mass of
evidence to establish the occurrence of
such a disease after the arrival of every
vessel that cannot be disposed of, es-
pecially when there is no contradictory
testimony.
The same paper states that parallel to
the st. Kilda case is found in Tonga and
Samoa. Some affirm that influenza was
unknown throughout Polynesia till white
| men came. 1t is also stated, in regard to
a small island on the west coast of Africa,
| that lit is n singular fact that any vessel
! touching there from st. Helena invariably
brings with it a disease resembling infu-
| enza." The same story is told about an
| island that lies east of New Zealand.
! Here all the people begin to cough almost
as soon as a vessel lands The blind
cough and so do infants, though they
have no knowledge of the arrival of
| strangers. This influenza is not like
measles and smallpox, that one attack
secures immunity, as it recurs when an
other vessel lands.
The publication of these statements,
supported by many authorities, in lead
! ing magazine has called out many express
! sions of opinion. All admit that it was
impossible for the inhabitants Of an island
near the South Pole to obtain information
from those living ON st. Kilda Some
| believe that the natives of several islands
have killed the crews of vessels because
they contracted the influenza from stran-
gers who had previously landed Few
have attempted to solve the mystery 1t
has lately been the fashion to deny any
phenomena that could not be explained
by natural causes. The old argument Of
DR.. Johnson has been employed by many
persons to disprove the existence Of many
things. Still thousands are ready to give
evidence of their constant occurrence
People who believe in things that they
cannot account for are classed as super
stitiOus, and few are willing to be thus
designated. Chicago Times