The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-10-04
SPREADERS OF DISEASE.

mere are many diseases 10 Wnlcn
small animals are liable and which they
are capable of transmitting, says the
New York "Herald." This subject,
to which too little attention has been
directed, has been regarded by the
Royal Society of Public Medicine in
Belgium as worthy of its attention.
By reason of the close and often con-
tinuous contact between animals and
mankind, dogs, sometimes affected by
contagious diseases, such as tuberculo-
sis, hydrophobia, mango, eczema, ETC.,
are frequently the objects of such af-
fection on the part of their master that
he will take them in his arms, caress
them in various ways and allow them
to jump upon his knees and lick not
only his hands, but his face or even his
lips. Sometimes also the dogs in a
house live like veritable boarders, side
by side with the children, whose food
they often share. They even eat off
the plates used by the family.
Generally speaking, though more
frequently in large cities than in the
country, dogs continually live beside
their masters, whom they scarcely
ever leave, breathing the same atmos-
phere and contributing to same extent
to render it mephitic by difusing into
it miasma and perhaps also specific
agents OF malaria that are transmissi-
BILE to mankind. This being so, it is
not surprising that men should be at
times wet with the saliva of dog that
has gone mad or that dog should be-
come tuberculous thro' living beside a
consumptive master and subsequently
cause contagion in the opposite sense.
The cat as we'll as the dog may
transmit certain diseases so mankind.
1t is, in fact, liable to tuberculosis, &C.
zema and other analogous affections
that rage in mankind. From its mode
of life, attached as it is to the fireside,
it readily accepts the caresses of its
owners and lives besides them. 1t
likes to sleep in soft places, and if it
carries upon it certain germs or para
sites it leaves them behind it.
Birds in the poultry yard, cage or
dovecot are also source from which
the human race may catch the germs
of specific and even mortal diseases.
Although the question Of transmission
of avarian diphtheria to children in the
form of human diphtheria has never
been solved and is by many persons
considered an extremely dubious one,
it is none the less established by nu-
merous observations on the part of
the most conscientious physicians that
when there is an epidemic of diphthe-
ria in poultry yard there is also
prevalence of angina with false men,
brane among the children. This is
sufficient to warrant measures of pre-
caution in that respect.
Besides diphtheria and pseudo men,
branous angina, birds have other dis
eases as to which there can be doubt
Of the responsibility of their transmits
sion to mankind. 1t is sufficient to
cite aviarian tuberculosis and psitta-
COSTS. The latter is common disease
with parrakeets, birds whose kisses
certain persons receive with satisfac-
ton.
The rabbit and the hare are capable
Of communicating parasites. Although
the pathology of fish and mollusks is
at present almost unknown, it should
be remembered that fish are capable Of
tuberculosis.