Daily Republican., 1889-03-16
MUSHROOMS AND DISEASE.


tuih spAWui the rear paul, Hukue anu
almost invisible, had wonderful powers
Of existence. Kept dry, 1t had been
Rnownt0 preserve Its vital power for so
years, pushing into renewed growth, aud |
Its flowers In the form of
a. onne on the occurrence OF
the regulate conditions OF heat and tenn
peratuTe, as well as If it.had not slept in
Its earthly tomb for half a century.
These conditions have to be very exact
before, any OF the mushroom tribe will
develop iuto growth. The earth has TO
be warmed 10 so desreis, aud moisture
has to tall just When the Temperature Of
the earth Is OF that point; much above or
below this temperature, and without the
moisture no mushroom will grow. Plants
OF this family, or its allies, constitute the
microscopic piapts which we have come
to dread so much In connection with dis
eAses, ,',,,f. " d..
These species of plants that one eau, in
CON paratiyely few cases only, see with
the naked eye, are probably as numerous
az tile larger ard more beautiful flowers
which SO charm the world. Powerful as
our microscopns are, IT. is more than
probable that there are myraids Of plants
as yet unknown, They are, very destruc-
tive, not waiting + diseased organiza-
tions, as was formerly believed, but at
tacking and destroying the heslthlest.
They only wait as the larger mushrooms
do, the nice combination of conditions
necessary to start them into growth. AB
amor Y Towering plants, SONG like a high
temperature and some low Que, aud
hence different, diseases, resulting from
the altacka OF these. microscopic plants,
prevail at different seasons. ri sof
IA ,,.Aa
powerful enough 10 enable us to perceive
The little plant that produces yellow fever,
yet analogy has taught the Intelligent stu
dent OF plant life In relation to disease,
that plant it must be, and one, too,
which like the Refanium or heliotrope,
will not endure the slightest frost. l1t
"Agginl some plants will not grow OF
high elevations, and succeed only on the
sea level. The yellow fever plant Ia of a
similar lowly disposition, and, 1t Is said,
rarely germihated In an elevation more
than lew hundred feet above the level
OF the sea. In their travels these plants
also follow the Laws regulating larger
plents, some going Ia one direction Of the
compass, some in others. The once niys-
telious potato disease was caused by OLE
OF these microscopic plants, now Known
as Perenos pora infestaus. its course was
usually hotthwatdly, aud In its gernln-
adng stages Travelled about fifty miles q
day. The famous horse disease oil about
a decade since journeyed from North to
South, and at the rate of about seventy
miles day, This disease was carried by
q species OF Aspergillus 1t did not mean
that the spores travelled. They were prob
ably onlnipfesent.N Even the epofes OF
yellow fever might DO in the atmosphere,
all about Us now, but nice conditions pre-
vail in certain lines, and'then the omni
present spores germlhate and our strug-
gle with Them begins. Another spore, q
species OF naicroeQceus, produces diph-
therla; Others, undoubtedly causing
special disorders, have not been definitely
ascertained, US in the case Of the yellow
kyer. Malarial' troubles are Of this Char
acter. Decsying vegetable matter--the
former supposed causo--has nothing to
do v tn II; nor have marshes Iof them
selves anything 10 do. with IL, but, When
the mud cracks under warIu sun, the
peculiar mushroom pltnt that loves the
dark creviees grows and Poisons the az
infOauherpV eGa.tr 500 , NftNF=. ..
Continuing his remarks, Professor
Meebah said: Sew peop'e have aby
idea OF the great progress which science
has made in these dIrec IONS. There Is nc
Necessity for jumping at conclusions IN
| relation to the canses OF disease as SC
many people do. { - -
"When first went into City Councils,
Colonel Ludlow was sure the Sehuylk.ll
water Yves poisonous, because there was a
small portion more OF albnmlnous matter
| In II I'll an ebme good chemist thought
there ought to be. This, Il was urged,
caused typhoid fever. Come Partisan
thought that he. had found little mi
crobe called q Bacillus in the excretR bi
typhoid fever sufferers, and because 1t
was only present in these cases, 1t was
assumed that this was the cause of the
fever. The whole world follows, and now
IL is hacte ia in the schuylkill water, aud
no one thinks OF talRing about an over
plus of the albuIninbids.
ION Chestnut Hill, where the people
nre supplied from a LIVING spring gush-
ing GU, from Che top of the eminence,
and whlelt can possibly have no drainage
| through the rocky covering that en-
velopes the channel of the spring, ty-
phoid fever has been as bad as anywhere.
Typhoid fever has spread gradually
overlhewhol eastern slope pftlIe United
states, and is progressing daily, as THE
horse disease ard potato rot did perfectly,
Indifferent whether the people OF Canada
or Georgia drink Schuylkill water or not.
February end March ineveEy year are
the SEASONS the disease pregabs generally
In Philadelphia. The nice atmospheric
conditions II desires seem to prevail then
to G'more perfect degree.
| "Me have the most typhoid fever when
therd is theileast schuylkill water drank.
| In the hot and dry months, when schuyi-
! Kill water is ia everyope'B mouth, our
| i AL, f-r,t N N 1hflA
| Sit, Is scarcely creditable, "1eaid Mr..
EMeeAan, s'Lo the general Intelligence OF
professional men thai so'inueh that hae
been positively known as to the behavior
OF the IN mute meEdbers OF the mushroom
| fimily should .remain etorel in the arch
hives OF scientific nsiitnttons, and be
made oiso Title general use In the wei
fare Of the human race" -, -
n sierring tottQe method OF gathering
the specimens aifi thus tracing the tray
Cling ratio oil plants causing the disease,
the professor said: "Moorhouse, WHIT
discovered the one causing the horse dis
ease, utcd wet glass. The plants were
caught as they hoated through the atmos
phere. The Aepergillas was compare
lively large one, aud readily examined By
q microscope of average power. Days IL
succession no plants won'd be found OF
1.-THE glass; but q few days after thei
presence they could be detected there
The epiz5oty' was apparent IN .the
horses, aud the cir passages OF the poor
brutes ioupd gorgsd with them.
"1he progress Of this and other diseases
was readily tracked in this way" Pro
ieesor Meehdn concluded this portion o
his address by suggesting to the audience
tina. there were "a good many method
I of treating mushroomy subjects beside
frying or.bolling them"