The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-09-03
Two Correspondents
of Widely Differing
Views
One Claims ii is Not COntag.
i0us---An0ther Declares
Patients Need not Die
From the Effects

huitoF JOutDAis very fcruncn
point Is being raised in this city re
garding the appearance Of typhoid few
er. The point is thi1: II Is claimed
by some OF the wise that this disease
Is carried about BY means Of polluted
water. Intact, many hsce died ant
many have recovered from this fevei
believing Il was brought about from
using Infected water. Now II Is re
ported that the Waldo Hills are "ful
Of typhoid fever" These hills are
very high. and the water the purest
How will these two opposite condi.
tions be united into any consistent
theory Which OF the two Ia wrongg
We find the same disease appears un.
der opposite circumstances and con
dltions. What becomes OF the pre-
valllng theories? People have been
drinking Willamette river water for
years and Just now Il Is not ft for
use. Where has the typhoid been all
these years7 Il seems the people 10
be contented must be scared 20 death
about something or some other thing
all the time When they get tired OF
being scared OF smallpox and the bu.
bonic plague (which takes place IN
China when prisn ncws gets scarcel
takes a turn. and Il done. then we
find some hing eiso to- feed upon and
scare each other with.
Nov. II wouldn't be a bad idea 20
pay some attention 10 this report from
the Waldo Hills We have Just taken
ON a new board Of health. and II might
be a good move 60 send out a detach
ment with bottles and corks. and cap
ture al these microbes In convention
assembled and after corking them IN
these alright bottloa. bury them
deep. The typhoid germ Is harder
20 catch than most kinda. They have
three million legs and step like
camel. They have little square box
under their right wing where they
carry the typhus. II IN always bet
ter 10 approach them from the lrft
side. where they can't see you Since
the summer n well on. Il might be
wise 10 hurry matters n little. for the
first good gust OF winters sweeping
wind will blow them all on the hills
and drop them all over creation.
Did you ever stop TO think what
pincushlon the theory OF contagion ~.
anyhow, when you attack II with the
phonomena OF atmospheric move.
mentY According to the popular the.
ory. II the Waldo Hills are full OF
those germs. a big wind would take up
from these hills and distribute all
over the country countless billions OF
these microbes and implant tho dis.
ease no substantially In the human
race we would all be dead IN about
three DAYS Now, the people who
live near by these "nclds Of microbes ("
breathe the same mir which passes
over this army feeding upon the hill.
sides Of waldo. The aame current
OF air travels many miles and carries.
or ls said 10 carry. these injecting
microbes How II escape possible to
any human being on earth. who
breathes the same airg II tho air car
riea contagion every one breathing this
air would catch the disease. We all
know we all breathe the same air.
hut We 0lso know We don't all catch
the contaslon. Why not3 II a con
sumptlvc or smallpox patient be IN
the presence OF an explosion. would
not the disease be carried for miles
20 be drank IN by thousands who
would afterwards breathe this same
Identical air n contagi0n be az popn
lar theories hoid.g Contactical con.
tagi0n II more plausible than what Is
termed immediate. but neither carry
any elements of conviction To anyone
at All versed IN the laws OF natural
philosophy This assertion may ap,
pear Ia reflect upon the intelligence
OF those holdlng 60 this popular the.
0ry, hut. Il may be said with proprioty
that the theory of c0ntaglon Is now
listed with the theory OF the microbes.
or mere theory without any tangh
BILE evidence 10 support les truth. The
theory that contagl0n Ia immediate
has never been proven beyond any
doubt undcr certain circumstances
coupled with certain conditions, IL Is
argued that contngl0n produced the
disease, but the disease had 10 appear
before tho argument was valid. 10
take the di8case and prove lts orlgin.
Il different from taking an origin and
adduclng a certain disease The the.
orl of material contaslon has never
been lntelligihly and absolutely PROV.
en- any none than the microbe theory.
The apparent nesd Is 10 seek the cause
frst and then addnee the result. In
present practice the cause Ia never
sought after unia 4 appears IN the
shape of a result We lhon attempt
10 remefe the result and let he cause
Iake care OF ltoelf WIN s0me genll
kindly step forward and pnt our pop.
place 81 ease about our drinkina wa.
er and thereby merlt the gennhection
q 4 grateful and relieved public.
CHARLES MILLER.
Edlt0r Iournah ! enclose article
-. I.r..E.II 49,. f...a.. nEa.ll.a1 1rall.