The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11

tered. Its range is becoming steadily
more and more restricted. Medical
science has taken In hand the
business Of dealing with II In
the Hawaiian Islands. the Philippines
and elsewhere. isolation of h suffer-
ers being the most important means
| adopted for preventing its spread. As
time goes on II will progressively dis
appear, and the prospect is that a GEN.
fury from now n physician who wishes
to study a case will be obliged TO
hunt for IL in some remote locality.
THE Orient since earliest times
seems to have been the great hatch
ing ground for epidemic diseases.
Smallpox In China and India dates
back to remotest historic antiquity.
The Crusaders brought 1t back with
them from Palestine: 1t ravaged the
whole civilized world, and during a
long period IL Is said to have taken
half a million lives annually In Eu-
rope alone. introduced into the New
World 1t wiped N entire populations
In Mexico and South America. Many
tribes OF our own Indians were nearly
extermlnated by II.
POIblt W OH W Nehf@
what a frightful pestilence smallpox
formerly was. 1t was literally a deci-
mator of mankind. Yet at the present
time, thanks chiefly to vaccination,
cases OF il, at least in civilized coun-
tries, are comparatively rare. We
have IL always with us, and minor
epidemics Of 1t occur every now n
then in one place or another. but these
! are checked by prompt and effective
! methods, and the disease Is not al
| lowed to assume the proportions OF a
plague.
considering how new 10 the a
knowledge we possess In regard TO the
| causes Of epidemic diseases and the
| means by which they are spread II Is
wonderful how much has already been
I accomplished in combating them. Of
late typhus fever has beer attracting
a good deal of popular attention by
reason of its ravages in Serbia n
parts Of AUSTRIA: but this malady.
which Is one of the most deadly known
to man, is to-day restricted to a small
traction of Its former geographical
range-a fact for which the growth OF
clearly habits is mainly accountable.
our new hnoWl tuCc VI Nv hSN
mentality Of insects in carrying dis
eases is Of incalculable usefulness in
the war we are waging aGinst many
epidemic maladies. In nearly every
city Of the United States systematic
methods are being adopted for the ex-
termination OF house flies. which are
distributes not only OF typhoid but Of
other deadly complaints born OF filth.
THE biting flies-in whose cate
CORY the house fly. of course Is not
included-are accountable for the
spread Of many diseases. For In
stance, the common stable fly is more
than suspected to be h sole carrier
Of ~infantile paralysis. The notorious
tsetse fly is responsible for the dread
ed and invariably fatal sleeping sick
ness which in parts Of Africa con
tinues TO spread. notwithstanding the
utmost efforts Of medical science to
combat II.
IN the course Of ages certain mi
mute plants. which We call bacteria,
have adopted. presumably through
accidental circumstances. a parasitic
habit with relation TO man. When
opportunity serves they take advan-
tage OF It to live at his expense. feed
ing upon the tissues OF his body. The
same IL true Of certain minute forms