New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-12-13
WRONG, SAYS DR.. DOTH
AGAINST UILSON THEORY .
Scouts Suggestion That Clothing
Snrea6s Foot and Mouth Disease.

Dr Alyah H Toty. Health Officer OF inc -
,sia Yesterday that the foot and mouth disease
..,.s. :, several states could not possibly nave
her transmitted by the clothing 81 iTihisi7i''s
suggested by Secretary Wilson IN an apI sa
F-ssa,, 10 the House for an emergency app -
non &C s5So.e00 needed Icy the i'elai ''i' -
culture 10 fight she disease
Dr. notv declared that such a theory was uiisut ,
ported hy sanitary science. and II aoheis1 :, -,
initiate against success IN dealing win lDlul -,
,-saks n 2 like kind. lie took the sroUllu '''''
-. ..,,se If the foot and mouth disease among
cattle has not been found. and thst Wfla'eNei ~.
he szis about the medium of TRANSMISSION mus '
largely theoretical - -
The rresent outbreak IS the hrst. with one eN-
s-+,on N this country IN eighteen years. Inc eN-
cen-ion was in 1872. and the manner IN "T'0l le
-ontaefon was brought here then was Ds-isNeu ~
he physicians Of the Department OF ASflc1l'l'e
g. mai time according the records OF lle oe-
,,.-+zoe,+ N this city 10 not definitely known
A.. ss evidently coming with some arucIes OF me-
-rsnaise as i hrst appeared near the docks o. ue
Port Of Boston and spread from there toward INC
interior.
YELLOW FEVER AN EXAMPLE
For years practical santarians who have given
z,is st,r5ec- careful study slowly hCt sur ei'
accommodating conclusive evidence that lae
.b.orz, is wrong and misleading conliToeo ~
Tlo.x ..Fonaites refer TO material or artioies
as cIorh hing. etc. which II Is oeileVeo aIe
ri holding and transmitting infectious orsNtliSl
even Cor an indefinite time This theory : -,
"a IN the earliest medical literature ana OLl, ~,
recent years has held undisputed sway C1iIou 80.
enough its principal support lies IN the "a
q offers a plausible explanation fer QUIZ
.-..,t,o,,e disease the origin Of which Is u'i
known Until 1900 the clothing, heoehnE' e., -
those affected with yellow fever were 80 -;
y, - most important factors in the transr1sSl'l
n MS disease. and what was claimed 10 e -
s.x,,,.a,,la evidence Of it freely preser1leu
now know that this disease Is tralsliit'eu -
= variety Of the mosquito known d. - $50
80 and that the clothing. bedding, oiscHal So
EaaTz
less , showing the
practical and scientific evidence sho",lE
@sllar,- Of the fonites theory. and that clo
ha.5sine rargoes Of vessels, rags, money e'O-' ~
,,,t transmit disease. except possibly IN if'e
+.,oss * constantly being presented BESIDES 'i0
frequency with which mild. amoulahl anu I'm
,,zAd asses Of infectious disease occur anu
.,.l-= * hecon,fng more fully recognized Also
Yhe fact that we'll persons may act as caIIIe
-t.aa.e z;-f,o75t presenting symptoms OF IL IheSe
conditions offer q scientific explanation loI oue
breaks the origin OF which cannot De ue'e ~
besides they render the fO1aiteS theory unheces
ss-v The latter stimulates carelesSness because
II II IS believed that outbreak OF infectious ais
case in g community is due to clothing which mas
-rohahFv carried infection from distance no Iu'-
ther action is usually taken 10 discover me cause
% the outbreak: whereas. Il We understood mat
diseases are transmitted by persons rather thah
things then thorough and exhaustive Inspection
would be made discover the origin OF the disease
n the shape Of some other case. which might be
extremely mild and under Ordinary Gil
would BE- detected
Besides II calls for investigation IN other places
whence the patient may have arrived IN lhis
vzr the origin Of the disease may be found, cases
isolated ana those presumably exposed kept under
careful observation. This is the policy Of modern
sanitation and constitutes the keynote Of success IN
dealing with this condition. Where it is followed
there is no outbreak Of infectious disease which
cannot be successfully dealt with
SPECIFIC ORGANISM NOT FOUND.
practically, I can see reason why these prin-
cirles should not he applied % the treatment OF
outbreaks Of infectious diseases IN animals The
specific organism the cause Of foot and mouth dis
ease has not been found, therefore. whatever may
he sa ID about medium Of transmission is largely
theoretical. The local manifestations of the dis
ease are principally in and about the mouth. and
therefore Il reasonable suppose that this is the
principal source OF infection from animal TO
another. Neither = there any doubt that there
mid cases Of this disease which recognized
and are responsible for outbreaks the origin Of
which cannot h explained Other animals than
cattle are affected probably in irregular man
ner: besides satisfactory eyidsnce IS presented 10
show that the disease also affects human beings
These different means OF transmission and the If
regularities which may occur in the appearance Of
disease should receive the exhaustive in
vestigaton before unscientihc theories the
oium Of infection accepted.
7 an aware that some exceedingly plausible
statements have been made regarding the trans
mission Of this disease other than by with
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