The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-12-14
ABOUT CONSUMPTION.
It q Declared to Be q CONTAGIOUS
Disease.
An Ancient Theory Revived Through
Scientific InvestiGAtson-No Pr0yi-
sions Against Consagion
Can Be Made.


ciety has pctitioned the board Of
health of that city to put consumption
of the lungs On the list OF contagious
diseases, says the Baltimore Sun. The
request has awakened interest in the
old question of the contagiousness OF
consumption and incidentally on the
general subject Of infection and con-
tagion Some of the diseases which
flesh is heir to are contagious in every
sense of the word. A contact SO
slight that it does not even reach skin
contact. but merely with the air which
smallpox patients breathe, is sufficient
to cause smallpox in man. So, too.
mediate contact-that is to say. the
handling by the well Of material
touched by the sick-has been proved
to be the cause of many diseases. Of
which erysipelas and scarlet fever may
be cited as examples. The products OF
certain other diseases-typhoid fever,
for example-require to be taken into
the economy to become naieficent-
Stil1 others, such as CHAMBERS. must
be introduced into the blood current
itself before they are dangerous. These
facts have been proved by long OBJ
servation and are not to be disputed.
A horseman treats case OF CHAMBERS
with perfect security, provided his
skin is whole or is protected. A nurse
or doctor stays for hours in the room
Of the typhoid patient and suffers no
hurt. The older doctors, therefore,
set these diseases to one side as in
fictitious. but not contagious, for it was
equally evident that they were carried
from patient to patient, not through
the air, but through other, and to
them unknown, means.
The discoveries in bacteriology have
settled many questions. but have I'M
settled many others which were sup
posed to have been fixed forever.
Among other things it has broken
down the barriers between contagious
and infectious diseases. All the dis
eases which have been mentioned are
now believed to be caused by germs of
vegetal origin, some of which are
known, others of which are only sus-
pected. The explanation of the bac-
teriologist as to the difference in their
effect on the human organism is SIM
ply that of the Bible. Some germs fall
OF good ground and multiply, others on
stony ground and fail to grow, or
wither at once. When typhoid germ
is breathed into the lungs it perishes
Just as do the myriad Of other germs
which we daily breathe. 1t is far other
wise if it 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-
tines. The germ grows and multiplies,
and the ordinary phenomena of the
disease result. This will give a gen
cral idea of the simple and apparently
complete answer to many of the vexed
questions which puzzled the older doc
tors.
Unfortunately the practical diff
culties are not entirely removed by
the theoretical explanation. and espe-
cially is this true of consumption.
Even if it is granted that the disease al
ways originates from germ, and that
this rerm came from some previous
case of the disease. the fact that SO
many escape where almost all are ex-
posed shows that there must be other
factors than the germ alone which
cause the disease. or at least aid in its
propagation. So 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-
stroying the bedding and belongings
of consumptives, 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 jewellers in cities are alive at all.
for statistics prove that from one-tenth
to one-ffth of all the deaths in large
cities are due directly or indirectly to
the disease, and that consequently
number of sufferers from the disease
must be present in every large gather
ing Of people. Except in the later
stages the patient is not confined to
his bed. He rningles in all the social
and industrial avocations of life. Not
infrequently he is ''the life OF the
party" or the hardest worker of the
Office" In the present state OF society,
at least, such men cannot be con-
demned TO leper camp nor sent
against their wills to sanitarium.
however excellent.
The general fact that consumption is
q disease which, under certain circum-
stances. may become contagious or in
fectious, should be admitted. suf-
fcient number of cases are known
where the carrying of the disease from
the III to the well is clearly proved TO
demonstrate the general truth that
consumption is sometimes contagious
This should lead to the most scrup-
ulous eere on the part not only of the
physician but of the intelligent pa
tent to prevent the spread Of the dis
ease But any attempt 10 prevent such
infection bv quarantine regulation
must almost necessarily prove abor- |
tive.