Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-12-20
ACUTE RHEUMATISM.
The Miasmatic Theory Recently Advanced
by German Authorities.

The Miasmatic Theory Recently Advanced
by German Authorities.
To most practitioners acute rheumatism
must appear essentially personal or
constitutional ailment occurring most
readily under certain unfavorable con-
ditions, such as fatigue, exposure. de-
preston, with wet or cold weather
There is a disposition, however, among
some physicians to regard it as depend
ent essentially on miasmatic conditions.
One of the latest expositions of this
view is to be found in paper read be-
fore the German Medical Society of New
York by DIR. Leonard Weber. DR..
Weber considers it nearly proved by the
labors of Immermann, Edlefsen, Fried
lander and their pupils, that what he
calls infammatory rheumatism, and
what is generally termed acute
rheumatism, is not produced by
taking cold, .. e., the refrigeration of
the heated surface of the body, but that
1t belongs to the class of miasmatic in
fictitious diseases assuming an epidemic
like character at certain times, in so far
as we are apt to see larger number of
cases when there is decreasing rain and
moisture, while with an increase of the
same the number of cases is diminished.
Among other points, he considers as
nearly proved that rheumatism is also a
house disease, the subsoil of houses in
certain locations being infiltrated with
the virus which, after prolonged dry-
ness, may be set free by the air currents
carried into the apartments.
In masked forms of rheumatism there
may be an absence of one or other of the
main symptoms and of the polyarthritis.
Neuralgia of the trigeminal sciatic,
spinal accessory or other nerves. with
sngnt febrlle movement, may be of a
rheumatic nature, and yield to alkaline
and salicylate treatment after other
remedies have failed. DR.. Webster saws
that his records show that the greater
number OF his cases of polyarthritis
rheumatlca occurred in February and
March, and again in the hot and drv
summer months. We do not commit
ourselves to the theory of the miasmatic
or external origin of acute rheumatism
by the way, DR.. Weber does scant inc.
tlce to our own countryman, DR.. Mac
iagan' who must be chiefly credited
with THIS theory, which, indeed. led him
to the use of salicin. We incline strong
~ TO the personal and constitutions,
theory OF its origin. But it is we'll N
keep all well-argued theories in view
tbs satisfactory to note that DR.. Weber
regards the salicylate of soda. which ba
gives generally with the bicarbonate as
standing in the foremost rank of vain.
able drugs with which modern chemis.
try has presented us.-Lancet.
The Roman CatholE-Bishop of Hav.
ana appealed to the Government Of tho
Island to close the cemetery which tho
Baptists had opened in thatcity, but tho
government in Spain has decided tb.t
the Baptists were acting according N
burial. pA"'e vi
Heneral" Booth, in opening a new
salvation hall in Liverpool recort,r'
aened any one to point out anv authn,
izea doing of the Salvation Army NO,
lustlned from the Bible. They haS
z''oo societies and 5000 officers. for 49,
most part self-supported, and the annual
! 'nS'"s was not less th;2 S. ooo. 900.