St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-05-03
local nrtns.
TUBERCULOSIS.
Il ST. Johnsbury Physician Has Some
thing of Interest to say.

-
curate information in regard to it, is
self-evident, when we consider "the
fact that it destroys one-seventh OF
ali mankind, a proportion increased
to one-third at the productive period
of life" (Whittaker.) This terrible
fatality would seem an emphatic
call for general knowledge on the
subject as it is now understood by
medical science. Let US speak first of
general tuberculosis before we ap-
proach animal tuberculosis which
has lately been prominent.
HISTORICAL.
We hear it often spoken of as new
disease, but Hippocrates 400
B. c. and later CELSIUS go A.
d. knew of phthisis (the Greek
term), literally wasting, one
prominent symptom. Their ideas
as to its pathology were crude,
however, and so on down to Bayle
and Laennec (19O3 to 1919. They
were right in calling it a specific
disease. New teachers taught other
doctrines and confusion reigned until
April 10, 1882, when Dr. Robert Koch
issued his memorable work, Die
Aetiologie der tuberculosis. THE
cause of tuberculosis. We are now
prepared to say
WHAT TUBERCULOSIS Is.
tuberculosis may be defined as
specific infectious disease character
lied by tubercles, which are the
product of the microscopic rod
shaped, "Bacillis tuberculosis. This
micro-organism is the cause. A
"cold" cannot produce it, nor can
foul air or improper food they are
however important factors in devel-
oping it, when established. Tuber-
culosis may not only affect the lungs,
but nearly every structure of the
body, as the glands, bones, skin, ETC.
Scroiula and lupus are both consid-
cred tubercular.
l cannot do better than quote from
the conclusions of the committee of
the American Public Health Asso-
citation and International Congress
of Public Health. held Oct. '93. Sure
Iy this authority no one can deny.
1 Tuberculosis has been conclusively
demonstrated to be contagious, etc
2 Tuberculosis is preventable
disease, etc.
3 The contagium of tuberculosis re-
sides entirely and solely is broken down
tubercular tissue, either in the form of
sputa from throat and lungs or diarrhoeal
discharges from the bowels, or matter
from tubercular (scrofulous) sore, etc.
With proper precautions, it is pos
sible to live in the closest relations with
consumptives, without contracting the
disease.
5 Tuberculosis is not hereditary, a
parent to offspring,
6 "a pre-dispo sition may be created
anew by poor nutrition, or anything
which depresses the nervous system
Tuberculosis affects animals as
well as men, and is identically the same
disease in both. In domestic life human
beings and animals mutually infect each
other"
- Consequently it is possible ICON
clusion 81 to materially check the
progress Of tuberculosis.
The sputa from consumption have
been known to give the disease to
fowls. When dry it may like dust
float in the atmosphere, and being
inhaled cause disease to man or ami
mails. The only safe way is for con-
sumptives to carry sputa cups or
some absorbent material, and this
with other tubercular discharges
NAV be burned or buried up.
BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS.
About 1870, Gerlach Schuppel and
Aufrecht established the identity of
the "pearl disease" of cattle with
tuberculosis; and since that time it
has in Europe received the attention
it deserves. The prevalence of the
disease abroad is shown by these
statistics; In France O5 per cent, in
Paris 6 per cent, in Holland 20 per
cent, in Edinburg &c per cent, etc.
Prof. James Law of Cornell, an
eminent authority on this subject,
has found "a maxium of 90 per cent
and minimum of 5per cent in infect
ed herds in New York" Prof. Law
saws, The tuberculin test is the
only known means of detecting many
occult cases of tuberculosis, and is,
therefore indispensable in any sys
tematic effort to stamp out the
disease by the purchase and slaugh-
ter of every tuberculous animal" In
Germany and France the meat of
tuberculous animals is allowed to be
sold if the disease is not found in the
muscles" Prof Law concludes. and
rightly, l think, "a tuberculous
animal, however slightly infected, is
always a source of danger"
TUBERCULIN.
This substance first produced by
Koch is the secretion of the baciIli of