The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1893-12-13
ABOUT CONSUMPTION
Il Is Declared 70 Pc e Contagious
Disease
An Azeiest Theory Revived fnr0aSn
seients8e InvssticAti07-So fron-
siens Against Coorag4on
e. Re Nd

The PhiisaeIubia couzty Medical 50
cie.v has petitioDed the board of
health Of that city TO pat consumption
ff The lungs on the list Of contagious
siseases, SAYS the Baltimore sun The
request has awakened interss- IN the
old question Of the e0ntsgiousnsss of
CONSUMPTION and Incidentally on the
general subject Of Infection aud con
-sgfon some OF the diseases which
4eSh * heir 70 are contagious IN every
ssouse Of the srOr6- a contact 50
slight that Il does not even reach sllln
contact. but merely with the air which
suaIlpax patients breathe, Is Sufficient
70 cause smallpox IN man So too
mediate coatact-thst Is TO say. the
landing bv the well q material
,ouehed bT the sick-has been proved
- he the cause OF many diseases. OF
r-sifls errsiDeIas AID scarlet fever may
h. cited As examples The produets Of
-ertsin other diseases-typhoid fever
frr rexsnDle-require 70 be taken into
the economy 70 become maleheeni-
stiu others, such As gianderss must
o. introduced into the blood current
ftseIf before they are dangerous IEese
facts have been proved BY long oo-
se-~atiou and are not 70 be disputed
4 horseman treats 3 case Of glaaeers
e-ith perfect security. provided ms
kin is whole or i protected n1rse
y doctor STAYS for hours N the room
II the typhoid patient and suffers 10
hurt- The older doctors, Therefore
e. these diseases 70 one side as IN
fsetious. but a0t contagious, for j was
equally evident that they were carried
from patient 20 patient not through
The air. but through other, and 20
them unknown, means
The discoveries II bacteriology have
settled many questions. bnt have IN
settIed many Others which were SUD
r1ssd 70 have been fixed forever
among other things il has broken
1orn tic barriers between contagious
rud infections diseases al the dis
sases which have been mentioned are
now believed % be caused By germs OF
reretal origin. some OF which are
l-no-n. others Of which are only sus-
peeted. The explanation Of the bae-
f.-iolorsst IS 20 the difference II their
fleet on the human organism IS sim
nir that OF the Bible some germs tal
on good ground and multiply Others on
.ronv ground and fail 70 grow, or
vither az once. When 2 typhoid germ
: breathed into the lungs Il perishes
f1st as do the myriad Of other germs
which we daily breathe Il Is far other
wise Z il Is swallowed with the food
or drink. and finds after running the
gauntlet Of the juices Of the stomach
suitable place for growth in the intes-
zines. The germ grows and Inultiplies,
and the ordinary phenomena Of the
disease result This viii give gen
.ral idea OF the simple and apparently
complete answer 70 many OF the vexed
questions which puzzled the older doc
tors.
Unfor.z,ately the practical diff
eulties are not entirely removed by
the Theoretical explanation and espe-
cisuv Is this true of consumption
Even Il Il Is granted that the disease al
wars originates from = germ, and that
this germ came from some previous
rase Of the disease, the fact that 50
many escape where almost all are ex-
posed shows that there must be other
factors than the germ alone which
cause the disease. o. a. least aid in its
propagation 50 far these other fac
tors are almost unknown
That consumption was contagious
was an old theory, and the Spaniards
centuries ago were IN the habit Of de-
stroving the bedding and belongings
q cOnsumDtives, and IN some cases
even the houses in which they lived
for fear OF the spreading Of the plague
That it is not very actively contagious
IS proved sufficiently by the fact that
the dwellers in cities are alive al all.
for statistics prove that from One-tenth
u one-ffth OF ali the deaths in large
cities are due directly or Indirectly 10
the disease, and that consequently a
number Of sufferers from the disease
must be present in every large gather
Ing q people Except IN the later
stages the patient Is not confined 20
his bed. lie mingles in al the social
and industrial avOcstions of life Not
infrequently he IS the life Of the
Vzrty7 or the hardest worker of the
Office IN the present state Of society
~ least, such men cannot be con-
iemned TO a leper camp nor sent
against their wills 20 a sanitsFium.
however excellent
The general fact that consumption Is
& disease which, under certain circum-
stances. may become contagious or in
feetioRs, should be admitted 4 SUI
1ieient number OF cases are known
where the carrying Of the disease from
the IL 10 the vel is clearly proved TO
demonstrate the general truth that
consumption i sometimes contagious
This should lead 70 the most scrup-
ulOus care on the part not only Of the
physician but Of the intelligent pa
fient 70 prevent the spread Of the dis
ease But any attempt 10 prevent such
infection by quarantine regulation
must almost necessarily prove abOr-
tive
CEATH OF 4 NOTED GIANT.
"a. -. sr.,..-, 60. W.. w. - -.