Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-09-27
Article No. 2.
Article No. 2.
CAUSES OF Consumption.


about germs or bacteria. They are minute
organisms, far too small to be seen by the
naked eye, and belong to the vegetable
kingdom The majority are most useful
servants OF man, and are continuously work
ing for him. They are the cause of all de-
composition and putrefactioD. Man and
animals, the trees and the flowers, die and
return to earth After time they become
part of it. Earth to earth and dust to
DUST" It is the bacteria that produce this
decay. The organic is turned back to
inorganic matter. This change is unceas-
ing, and without it all life would soon end.
See how fruit is preserved, and was pre-
served by housewives long before germs
| were heard Of The fruit is boiled This
kills the germs. The jars are also placed
in boiling water. While still hot the fruit
is hermetically sealed. We used to think
it was the air that caused the fruit to spoil.
But we can stop up the jar with cotton
which let's in the air, and the fruit will
keep Just as WE'LL The cotton keeps cut
the germs
| Most Of the germs require certain con-
ditions to grow. They must have suitable
food, air, water, and a favorable tempera-
ture. Some only grow in the absence Of
air (oxygen) and some only in the, dark.
They are much like the larger plants with
which we are familiaras wheat, corn,
barley, IT.. To grow well they need a
suitable soil food }, rain and sunshine.
In 1882 Robert Koch discovered that
tuberculosis is produced by germ,
vegetable parasite, which he named the
bacillus tuberculosis. This germ grows
with great difficulty outside Of the body.
It has to be cultivated with extreme care
in the laboratory. Sunshine rapidly de-
stroys it. 1t will not live long in perfect
" dry state-it must have water like other
plants. &But in dark, moist places it may
live for months. f gets into the body in a
number Of ways. It may be in the air we
breathe and enter the lungs directly, or it
lodges in the tonsils and is carried to
various parts of the body by the Emphatic
system. 1t may be swallowed. It may
enter the body through break in the skin.
In the great majority Of cases, especially
/ in adults, it attacks the lungs. Here it
causes various infammatory changes with
the production of little tubercles, hence the
name, tuberculosis. These tend to soften
and break down forming cavities. The
patient coughs and expectorates, and casts
out large numbers of these germs. Hitler
estimates that there may be as many as
100, ,000.00 in each cubic centimetre
(about Is drops Of sputum.
We haye seen that these may live outside
of the body for some time. Unless extreme
care is taken to destroy them, there are
many chances for them to gain access to the
lungs of other persons, especially of those
who are constantly with the patient. AS
long as the sputum (matter expectorated)
is moist the germs are imprisoned. When
this dries they are liberated and mingle
with the dust. When the dust is stirred
up, as in sweeping room occupied by a
careless consumptive, the air becomes filed
with germs. When the air is still they
settle to the floor. Babies creeping about
the floor, and putting fingers and articles
found to their mouths, swallow them, and
may contract tuberculosis in some form.
Flies settle upon the sputum and carry off
germs which they may aftsrward deposit
upon or in food or drink. When the con-
sumptiYe expectorates upon the street the
germs finally Rlngle with the dust and are
blown here and there. 1t is probable that
most Of these are killed by exposure to
light and air. The undried sputum on the
sidewalk may readily contaminate long
dragging skirt and be carried into the house
| to be there set free
In many ways these germs fined an en-
trance to the human body. What then
happens Thlt depends upon the soil We
are practically certain that these germs will
not grow in the tissues of perfectly
healthy body; at least not to an extent to
produce discoverable signs Of disease. But
here our knowledge is less perfect. We see
persons apparently in excellent health con-
tract consumption Others, diseased or in
evident Ill health, escape though exposed
TO the germs for long periods.
But many persons undoubtedly haye a
slight attack Of tuberculosis and get we'll Of
it without knowing it. On the post NOR
TEN table it is q common occarrence to find
healed tuberculous LESSONS in the lungs
where there had been no history Of tnber-
culosis during life. AS the elder Or. Flint
pointed out long ago. tuberculosis Is essen
italy a seli-limited disease Nature often
succeeds in effecting cure,
We may say, then, that in general there
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