The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-01-29

attack 10 lose the ground they nave oeth
slowly gaining q would SEEM 100 'na'
the infection is generally carrtu W -.
man agency: and II Is noteNo''"s -
some, al least. OF every snip ~
passengers must take II with them NJ"
thew 60 aboard. for apparently every SNIP
which reaches St Kilda brings the co'u'
Probably those who carry II are ol'eh
oiite unconscious that they nave any
thing wrong with them, the disease DC
ing. as it were latent. it would SEEM
too that practically all human pel'.ss,
irrespective of age or sex. ana even " NJ
i'm good health, are highly susceptible 70
colds. II they have been for some 'iiio
free from Them and so have lost I'M
munity.
CATCH IT FROM ANIMALS.
Additional evidence that colds are IN
fictitious Is furnished by what we observe
among our domestic animals. cats seem
IN he specially susceptible. PROBABLY
they often bring home from their noe
uirnal rambes those mysterious catdr
rhai attacks which so rapidly run through
the house. II is an old swing, The car
IS sneezing wo shall all have colas-
Sheep. too, are liable a whole noon
may suffer. and may show that curious
eruption round the lips (herpes laoialls)'
which we all know only too well as one
of a had cold in the head on the Aus
tralian sheep runs. when the shearins
season comes round, the men who con-
grogate al tho sheds are frequently smit-
ton with an illness of catarrhal
nature. which rapidly takes hold OF them
and often affects some 20 per cent Some
times Il becomes very serious. and may
even develop into a fatal pneumonia 10
all appearance il is caught from me
sheep. 80,
Horses, too, are very subject TO nasal
catarrh, and IL is widely prevalent
belief among coachmen that II horse
eoes into a fresh stable, and especlaly
4, +, borse which has been out al grass
goes into a stable with other horses
n viii be most likely to develop q cola.
Go too. il is noticed, will horses bought
m a fair. and this IS popularity attributed
10 the draughts 20 which they nave peeh
e~noefd As II is admitted, however, that
any other horses which may nave peSi.
IN the stable generally eaten TINS COZ"
from the newcomer, surely IL Is more
reasonable TO suppose that tho latter mas
I'm like manner received the infection from
some Of its neighbors While on sale' a
medical friend Of the writer's lateiy nlauo
an interesting experiment. lie mas t"o
horses. and has been in the haplt OF
when he brought it IN again for the WIN
ter n used Invariably 70 develop a severe
cold. Coachmen will tell you that this is
due To the unaccustOmed warmth or the
stable, which makes the animal 'nesh.
Last year however. before bringing III
his horse. the doctor had his stable THOR
oughlv disinfected and lime-Washed. ana
nuf no other horse into f. The one
which came In from grass then remained
perfectly free from any symptoms OF
catarrh.
DUE TO MICRO-ORGANlsM.
All this evidence seems TO force rs 70
the conclusion that cold Is a speclhc
Infectious disease. and that without the
nossIbilitv of infection Il is impossible
to catch It. That is TO say that 1t Is
due 10 a micro-Organism, and that with
ont the presence OF this micro-organism
the disease cannot be contracted, be the
axposure what IL may. What II the bear
ing OF this belief? Is It Of any impor-
lance TO us. II true It be. 10 recognize
its truth2 Contrast IL for moment
with the commonly accepted theory
which may be roughly stated as follo~s'
First, that the greater NUMBER OF III
nesses begin with cold. ms Is more
or less correct. Secondly, that All coIus
must necessarily be due 10 exposure OF
some KIND. 10 1IdlEAlNof H'AAhff
wet. though this exposure may be so
slight that the sufferers arc often quite
unconscious of it, aid say: Il am sure !
don't know how ] have taken cold. Inc
practical result OF this theory Is thal'
in their fear Of these unrecOgnized ex-
nosures. people are apt 10 take more
and moro care OF themselves, In other
words. to codde more and more. rms
treatment tends to make them more ana
more delicate: less and less able 10 WIN
stand exposure; more and more SENSITIVE
10 the depressing effects OF cold; less ana
less capable OF reacting healthily against
ii: and, what is far worse, more ana
more afraid of fresh air and good venu-
lati0n. Qn the back-blocks Of Australia
the writer has actually known a monthly
nurse. strong I'm the consciousness OF I'M
questioned wisdom, and armed by the
authorftv OF established custom, even
when the thermometer stood at ninety
I'm the shade, refuse 10 open the window,
lest her patient should take cold) AND
this cOddling treatment when 1t Is applied
to children, is epcially injurious, causing
them TO grow up delicate instead OF
sturdy and strong, and in the long run
tending TO undermine the robust healh
and hardhood of our English race.
WHAT SHALL WE DO2
Now. II this commonly accepted the
Org is. after all, an erroneous one;
If all this over-carefulness Is not
only INJURIOUS in many ways, but
is altogether useless as pre-
cautionary measure-given exposure 70
Infection which must sooner or later be
incurred-then surely X Is important that
we as a nation should give up our tradi-
tional belief hOwsoever much we may
have cherished It. If the alternative the
DRY, that OF infection, be the true one,
and II II be frankly accepted, many con-
sequences must follow, which II is impos-
sible 70 consider here. But one thought
forces itself upon us. II It be Tue that
exposure Is not the direct cause of the
disease: II, as seems .,s>aba5le. IL only
acts by lowering our vitality, and so en-
aiding the germs TO get a foothold. surely
the more we become Injured 10 such ex-
posure the less likely will T. be to affect
US in this way-a thought which, If act
ed upon, would &c far towards preserving
that hardness which is so characteristic
OF our nation, which would prove as ef-
fective a protection against cold as
against other enemies.
May we hope for anything further?
Shall we ever be able TO avoid colds al
together? Probably we shall: probably
ere long our oacteriologists. having dis
covered the hostile microbe, having learnt
his habits. traced his life history. and
tracked him to his lair. Will be able 10
show us how We can get the better OF
our foe. 50 that in the oft-recurring
struggle he. not we will succumb, and
we shall soon cease to fear him. Hoe