El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-04
SMALL ANIMALS AS
DISEASE SPREADERS.
Danger that Should Be Guarded
Against, for the Protection of the
Children in the Home.

There are many diseases to which
small animals are liable and which
they are capable of transmitting. This
subject, TO which too little attention
has been directed, has been regarded
by the Royal Society of Public Med
icine in Belgium as worthy of its atten-
ton.
BY reason of the close and often
continuous contact between animals
and mankind. dogs, sometimes affect
ed by contagious diseases, such as tu-
berculosis. hydrophobia, mango, ecZe-
ma, ETC.. are frequently the objects OF
| such affection 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 the 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
conurty, dogs continually live be-
side their masters, whom they scarce
| Iy ever leave. breathing the same at
| mospnerc and contributing to some
extent to render it mephitic, by diff
fusing into it miasma, and perhaps al
SO specific agents of malaria that are
tranSmiSSable to mankind. This
being so, it is not surprising that men
should be at all times wet with the
saliva of dog that has gone mad, or
that a dog should become tuberculous
through living beside a consumptive
master, and subsequently cause con-
tagion in the opposite sense.
The cat. as we'll as the dog, may
fvoY a
kind. 1t is, in fact, liable to tu-
berculosis. eczema, and other anal
agous affections that rage in man
kind. From it's mode in life, at
tached as If is to the fireSide. it read
lily accepts the caresses of its owners,
and lives beside them; it likes to
sleep in soft places, and if it carries
upon it certain germs or parasites it
leaves them behind it.
Birds in the poultry yard, cage or
dovecote, are also source from which
the human race may catch the germs
of specific and ever mortal diseases.
Although the question of transmits
sion of aviarian diptheria to chill
dren in the form of human dipthe-
ria has never been solved. and is by
many persons considered an extremely
dubious one. it is none the less estab-
lished by numerous observations on
physicians. that when there is an cpl
demic of diphtheria in poultry yard
there is also a prevalence of angina
with false membrane amcng the chill
dren. This is sufficient to warrant
measures of precausion in that re-
spect.
Besides diptheria and pseudo
membraneous agina, birds have other
diseases, as to wh!sh there can be
no ne IL
to mankind. That is
sufficient to excite avarian tuberculos-
is and psittacosis. The latter is a
common disease with paroQuetS@aI
bird whose kisses certain persons re-
ceive with satisfaction.
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.
Having exhausted, or nearly exhaust
ed, his long list OF contagious diseases
Of small animals which they are capa-
BILE of communicating to mankind. 1t
remains to consider the general pro-
Dhylatic measures that should be taken
IN respect to them.
Tuberculosis in the dog, cat, and
bird must be regarded as among those
maladieS which, in the in
crest of the public, call for slaughter
)y order of the authorities. Such
course is necessary, because, according 1
o the present researches of science.
here is a complete identity between
he determining agent of tuberculosis
n man and in dog and cat; because
in fowls and theh parrot
ribe only differs from homan tubercu-
osis in certain small points which are
merely accessory-in other words, tu-
,erculosis Of the dog, cat, fowl, and
'arrrot can be communicated-and,
asst because the passage of tuberculo-
is from birds to man may be effected
" the flesh of some of them which
10 uses for food, also by food that
irds may contaminate with bacill- :
ry product, in addition to immediate !
ontact between persons and sick birds. !
Although medical authorities are not I
s yet in complete agreement on the /;
uestion of the identity of human dip ,
nd although the lobors of the labora-
ory have established a strong presum- ,
tion in favor of their non-identity. it i,
5 none the less certain that medical :
connects epidemicS of hui ,
1an diphtheria with outbreaks of the ,
iphtherie of birds, with contagious :
oryza and chicken cholera (Which fire. .,
uctnly prevails at the same time in : :
he poultry Yard, and that in any :
ase it is certain diphtheria among ,
owls gives children a pseudo-mem-
raneaous affection. This diSeaSt
horuld, THEREFORE be the signal for the 8
acrifice of all sick fowls, the destruc- !,
ion of their bodies by some process
ecognized as efficacious, and the dis !
injecting of the poultry yard and ev- .
rything in and about it.