The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-06-27

OA oAS 6AoAhN wv AHNASS ASSk NAs> SS~'N~>
seed and I advise everybody else to do
the same. I have only four rows hun.
dred and twenty feet long, and re gath
cred berries by the water bucket full. I
never saw as many in my life on the same
space. They are the Charles Downing
and the Sharpless varieties and have given
US more comfort and used up more sugar
than little. Confound the calf and the
pig. BILL ARP.
Consumption Curable and Not Inherited.
The recently published statement of
Drs. Pguddeu, Biggs and Loomis to the
New York Board Of Health in regard to
the contagiousness of pulmonary tuber-
culosis Consumption and the means of
protection therefrom contains useful in
formation that merits the attention of
every man, woman and child in the land.
Briefly put, the substance of the state
ment is that consumption is not inner:
tied, is distinctly preventible and is
often cured. Tuberculosis is very COM
mon. Domestic animals, and especially
cattle, are frequently effected by it.
About QUE fourth of the deaths of grown
persons are caused by it and nearly one.
halfof the entire population acquire it
at one time OF another during life. 1t is
caused by a living germ, the tubercle
bacillus, which finds its way into the
body and multiplies there, if the condi.
tions favor, producing tubercles. These
tubercles soften and give out discharge
containing the living germs, which
is thrown off from the body. When the
tubercles are in the lungs, constituting
Consumption" the expectoration con.
sists largely Of these fatal germs. The
latter do not grow outside the body, but
they retain their vitality and virulence
for long time, even when thoroughly
dried. 1t is when dried and floating in
the air as an impalpable dust that they
are most dangerous. Consumption is
commonly produced by breathing air in
| which the living germs are suspended as
dust. The origin Of the poison, as
already stated, is chiefly in the expecto.
ration of persons suffering from consump.
ton. They cough up sputum which
| contains germs in enormous quantities.
This is deposited in places where it after
wards dries, as on floors, carpets, cloth.
ing, handkerchiefs, &c. When dry it
readily breaks up into minute bits which
float in the air as dust. The entire sur
roundings of consumptive patients are
made poisonous with this dust. Repeated
experiments show that the dust gathered
from almost any part of hospital ward,
asylum, prison or private house where
q consumptiye resides will produce
tuberculosis in animals inoculated with
it, while the dust from places where the
disease does not exist has no such effect
It is important to note that the breath
of person having consumption does
not communicate the disease, nor does
the spit of the consumptive patient COM
municate it SO long as it is retained in
its receptacle in moist state. Tt is only
| whoa ahsa it dries and is scattered by cur
rents of air that it is dangerous; The
prevalent belief thae consumption is
hereditary is due to the fact that the
children of cousumptives are more than
others exposed to the tubercle bacilli,
which find the way to their lungs from
handkerchiefs. carpets, floors and
the clothing of the afflicted parent.
It is conceded to be likely that the
child may inherit weak condi-
tion of the lungs, which renders
il more liable than another to succumb
but it is now known that the disease it.
self can be caused only by the entrance
of the germ into the body. It may enter
otherwise than by way of the lungs. 1t
may be transmitted by meat or milk
from animals suffering from tuberculosis.
The milk of COWS, whose lungs are
affected, often contains the living tuber.
Gle bacillus, and the need of caution in
the purchase of milk is emphasized by
the fact that 20 or 30 per cent. of stall.
fed COWS have the disease. Boiling the
milk and thoroughly cooking the meat
destroys the germs, and this is precau-
tion that should never be omitted when
there is any reason to suspect ones milk
or beef supplies. Consumption is, how.
ever, as rule, communicated from man
to man throught the medium of the per-
nicious dust whose origin ne have de.
scribed To prevent the formation Of this
dust by. preventing the drying of The
expectorations of consumptive persons is,
therefore, the only effective means of
preventing the extension of consumption
to those about the patient and of curing
the patient himself. The patient may
diminish his chances of recovery by self.
inoculation if he neglects the proper
precautions. What, then, is to be done ?
Only this, to burr the spittle of the con-
aumptiye person before it has had time
to dry. handkerchief should be boiled
very soon after being used by consump
tive person in his hands they are
extremely dangerous articles. Expecto.
ration on the floor or porch should not Of
course be thought of for moment. In
word, the cure and prevention of con-
sumption lie in jealous and uninterrupted
lpe!sonal cleanlipels-Baltimor Syn.