The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-07-12
WHO CAN EXPLAIN IT.
A Strange Disease on the Kite Islam" OF
81 E,iGl-tnothcr story.


ro,v no-ious Of the habiIablc earth
have rccci sed more attention durlng th'
no, ,broc ccr,uriss than the little island
OF 81. Kilca. which lies 81 the coast o.
Scotland. No people are 50 strongly r.
fachcd to their nome as the mhapiihhl
of this lonely place. Benevolent person
in Great Britain have repeatedly oiieIrh
10 move item all 10 Australia or 'anada.
and TO provide for their wants ihi tl"y
couli get established They have, how
over. always declined these propositions.
The climate Of the land is 50 acrere tina
III Is scarcely ondurablc, the sea about II D.
n temnesiu0us nj most time3 thar vessels
cannot APPROACH if. while the soil is so
sterile tiat IT will produce httir but
grass. ppt;foo5 and barley.
Tho people suffer rom cold. hunger
and i.r.stion. IL i, also affirmed That
they suiici from the visits ot sif1nF.r-
even those who come on errand,C 81 mercy
Al writer. on ST. hiida affirm tnfi thc
arrival OF e vessel g. Immediately followed
by a pr.tl 8r a0r' Of iurueuza which a.
fect, aii uo people. Rev AnlJ. Nae
auiay. ueai erandtathcr az the tiatn-
uli.lcI historian, wrote % WORK on 81
klda. ir which BE- speaks at length o.
tlis .fr3nra disclsc. Martin. who Wrote
an account Of the island and IT, inhabi
tanis nearly two hundred years o@'. also
refers to it. ln giving evidence tnicre
the c%roftcr commission. the minister OF
the island, who j. represented asa zen
tleman OF GREAT learning, enumerated 4I.c
Stranger Cold as among the principal
Affections of the people. aui one Tor
which there was no relief.
DR.. Samuel Johnson. who Vas much IN
terestcd ia the Highland of Scotland ana
the neighboring islands. cndcavored 10
dispose Of the Strangers Cold D.! means
Of an argument. Ia ann essay he wrote.
How can there be a physical effect with
ont d. physical cause The arrival Of q
ehipfulof strangers would kill them. for
II one stranger gives them one cold. Two
s|tranqcrs must give them TWO colds, and
so on in proportion. Tho logic Wa as
ccllcnt. but il did not Prevent tEo on.
people of 81. kiida from suffering from q
severe cold for eight or ten days after the
arrival If every vessel. Il writer in q
recent number Ot Chambers journal de-
clarcl that the di.e1ec actually exists.
and that If is folly 60 attempt 10 deny the
fact. lie states that there is % mass OF
evidence IN establish tAo occurrence OF
such % disease after the arrival OF every
vessel that cannot BE- disposed 81. O..
peciGliy when there Is no contradictory
testimony
The same paper states that - parallel 10
the 81. hilda ca g is found in Tonga and
Samoa. some affirm that influenza was
unknown throughout Polynesia tlil white
men ana Il is also stated. ia regard TO
a small island Oh the west coast OF Atrlcl.
that III is . singular TACT that any vessel
touching there from So. Helena invariably
with it % disease T,e mblnr mnu-
The same stor5 b. Told about an
island that lies cast ID Now Iollani.
Here ali the people begin to cough almost
az soon as q vessel lands. The blind
and so Go infants. though they
have no knowledge OF the arrival OF
strangers. This influenza is not like
measles and smallpox. that u attack
secures immunity. Gs il recur5 when an
vessel lands.
The publication Of these statements,
supported by many authorize. in q lead
inc magazine has called ont many cXprc5-
sions of opinion. All admit that it was
impossible for the inhabitants of an island
near the S0uth Pole 10 obtain Information
from those living ON II. 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 10 solve the mystery 1t
has lately been the fashion to- deny any
,I.p,Y..ua fbaf a,nlI mt ba .Npt4fr.i
by natural causes. The old argument Of
DR. Johnson has been employed by many
persons to disproyc the existence of many
things Still thousands are ready 10 giye
evidence OF their constant occurrence.
People who believe in things that they
cannot account for are classed as super
stitious, and few are willing 10 be thus
desiglated.-Chicago T.mes.