Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-07-30
The Reason Why

In preceding articles it has been
plainly implied that at no time
during the late prevalence of diph-
liberia in this community has there
been any real danger Of contracting
the disease by casual visitors or
others in coming TO this city for
business, pleasure or for any other
purpose. Indeed, such danger has
been and is notably less, than the
ever present danger of contracting
the disease anywhere in the country,
off regular lines Of travel, and es-
pecially in visits, for any purpose,
to Chicago or other large cities,
where cases of the disease are never
absent, and whore quarantine can
not be so rigidly enforced as in
smaller cities, where the local
authorities are alive and every we'll
minded citizen has an individual
interest in the welfare of his home.
Thus, this city could aud still can
be visited or sojourned in, with the
utmost impunity to trausients or
permanent citizens, because our
board of health, backed by the city
authorities, have kept aud continue
to keep a vigilant watch of every
suspected case, not only of diph-
iberia, but also of every other con
tagious disease, aud If even sus-
pected to be contagious rigid
quarantine is at once enforced, aud
such additional sanitary precautions
taken as may seem desirable and
proper
Hence, only by violating the
quarantine, can any outside persons
come near to any case of contagious
disease in this city or be anywise ex.
posed to the contagium thereof; and
unless one comes into close relation
either with the patients themselves,
their non-disinfected excreta or ex-
halatious, clothing, habitations, etc.
one has no chance of contracting
diphtheria,
Disease is condition of part
or the whole Of the body different
from that Of health, either Of de-
ficiency or of redundancy, and is
not, az many suppose, distinct
entity or material substance which
invades the body at viii 10 the de.
struction Of human life, or q
tangible "chunk," which may be
! knocked out Of the affected, much
as a pugilist "knocks out" an adj
versary. Contagious diseases are
caused by so-called specific poisons.
IN the form Of contagia, each con
sisting Of minute organisms OF
characterize qualities for each dis
ease and always exciting one
particular disease and no other
They are all and singular infections
in being caused by personal contac
with the sick or their environments
through a living contagium, and
thence, and also from being commu
nicable from person to person, called
J contagious. The essential idea is
Of a disease propagated through
contact, which may be mediate O
, immediate, but without a contac
with the coutagium, the cause 0
{ the disease, it is obvious that n
contagious disease can be contracted
These are some Of the reason
: why our city is now preeminen
among her neighbors for salubrit
and healthfulness, and why there j
no more danger Of contracting dipf
! iberia by visiting Mineral Poin
: than there is IN staying at hom'
} where the disease may be carried il
] numerous ways. @. b. W.
: The second meeting Of th
e Worlds Fair county committee, 70
e this county, convened at Dodge
t vile Thursday, the 2ist inst, an
!, talked over probable exhibits fror