Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1894-04-12

Nothing can be more difficult than tn.
attempt to make plain technical or pro
fessional theme. shall strive to do moth
ing more than to endeavor to arouse soms
slight interest in the profoundest subject
that ever failed in getting a hearing
How to get well when sick is of pro
found interest to most Of us. How tc
keep we'll when not sick Is a theme tha,
bores US all. 1t is not lack of knowledge
so much as lack of interest that prevents
men from living somewhere within the
bounds of healthy rules. Most of us are
aware that robust mind. that moral and
mental and physical health go arm IN arm.
Exceptions there are In which strong
progenitors have given weak limbs and
strong brains, bnt il is exceptional. The
best moral and mental life, the mind and
heart Of robust health lies wrapped Ia a
good frame. Ten to one.
Yet the preservation of health. the pre-
attention Of the public these many years.
OF late the lsggard has partially heard,
and while all else must come first. there is
some room found TO entertain the patient
visitor The science Of medicine has long
known its Importance, aud all its vast re-
sources have been turned So much in that
direction that far more than half Its great
advances in the past two decades have
been in preventing disease. Many have
been the rewards. and now. born not Of
sudden fanaticism o. Of wild speculation,
but of long years OF patient aud unrc
mittlng toll, comes the hope-almosi the
prnmise-that the scourge Of northern
climates. the dread. the hateful and hated
enemy of our rsce, s disease which causes
the death Of full one-seventh OF all who
die, killing one-third OF those who perish
between the ages Of fifteen and forty i've
-consumption-m be throttled oni Of
life by prevention.
| wish to say word now about the
cause Of most Of the communicable DIS
eases, and with no attempt at technical
explanation, or with little or no reference
to medical management. to suggest some
means of prevention not only from these
but from all the vast range of ILL.,
health that blots peace from 80 many
hearts and homes. This particular para
graph | confess, the cau-ation of disease,
which | must leave with liitlc more than
bare mention. is the fascinating topic
OF my paper. And | would gladly have
made Ii my theme.
IL is now known that many. probably
ali, diseases that can be communicated
from man 10 man, either directly or in
directly, have for their cause aud means If
communication e tiny organism called a
germ. We are just beginning TO peer into
the wonderful processes OF these vege-
table growths which are capable, uncer
proper environment. Of such mary elous 10
crease Their habits are being studied
and daily new truths are learned OF them
Their different forms are myriad, and
some Of them are man-loying and feed up
on the different tissues Of the body, set
ting free certain subtle poisons in the
blood, each after its Kind. so inducing dis
turbances OF the body function, and these
changes We call disease.
Each disease has its own germ. In
some the germ Il given OF readily, In such
form as 10 be easily transmitted 10 the
healthy. We speak OF such diseases
a. easily contracted as measles, small
pox. etc. Others are not directly
transmitted they pass OF in the excre-
tions and find their way through improper