The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1889-06-29
WHO CAN EXPLAIN TT
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 TIE little island
Of st. kilda. which lies OF the coast Of
Scotland No people are 50 strongly at.
taebed 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 de- lined 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 thas 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
Ali writers on st. kllda affirm that the
arrival of vessel is Immediately followed
by peculiar sort of influenza which af
fects all tho people Rev. Aulay Mac
aulay. great grandfather of the distin
guishcd historian, wrote n work on st
Kida, in which he speaks at length of
this strange disease Martin. who wrote
an account of tie island and its inhab
tants nearly two hundred years ago. also
refers 70 it. IN giving evidence before
the erofter commission. the minister of
the island. who Is represented rs n gen
tleman Of great learning, enumerated the
Strangers Cold as among the principal
aifliei IONS OF the people and ono for
which there was no relief
Dr Samuel Johnson. who was much in.
terestcd il the highlands of Scotland and
tie uoighboriuy islands, endeayored to
di5po of the Strangers Cold by means
of al argument In an essay he wrote
How can there be physical effect with
ont physical causel The arrival of
shipful Of strangers would kill them, for
If one stranger gives them one cold two
strangers must give them two colds. and
50 on In proportion The logic was ex
cellcnt but it did not prevent the poor
people of st. Kilda from suffering from
severe cold for eight or ten days after the
arrival OF every vessel. A writer in n
recent number of Chambers Journal de
clared that the disease actually exists
and that it is folly TO attempt to deny the
fact lie states that there is mass OF
evidence to establish the occurrence of
such a disease after tho arrival of every
vessel that cannot be disposed of. es
pecally when there is no contradictory
testimony.
The same paper states that a 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 singular fact that any vessel
touching there from st Helena invariably
brings with it disease resembling infiu
enza The same story is told about an
island that lies east If New Zealand
Here all tho people begin to cough almost
IS soon as vessel lands. The blind
cough, nnl so do infants, though they
have no knowledge of tho arrival of
strangers This influenza is not like
measles and smallpox, that ono attack
secures immunity. as 1t recurs when en-
other vessel lands
Tho publication of these statements.
supported hy 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 10 obtain information
from those living on St kilda. Some
believe that the natives of several islands
have killed the crows of vessels because
they contracted tho influenza from stran
gers who had previously landed. Few
have attempted to solve the mystery 10
has lately been tho fashion to deny any
phenomena that could not be explained
by natural causes TIE old argument Of
DIR Johnson has boon employed by many
persons TO disproyo the existence of many
things Still thousands arc ready to give
evidence Of their constant occurrence
People who believe in things that they
cannot account for are classod as super
siitions and few are willing TO be thus