The Washington herald., 1916-12-26
THE MILLENNIUM OF HEALTH.

we are tndeed wonderlully ana rear
fully made
What are these agencies so wondrously
and freely given to US to vanquish dis
ease germs?
Immunity Is one; It is a non-suscepti-
bility to disease. Nature doubtless meant
US to be- immune to the effect Of bad
germs, but countless centuries of def
ance to her laws has left US all moro or
less Frustrated. Still we meet with many
instances where exposure to virulent pol
sons, such as those of scarlet fever and
Of smallpox. is not followed by an attack
OF the diseases to which they give rise.
This is termed natural immunity.
The boards of health impose upon us
an artificial immunity to smallpox by
making vaccination with the virus Of this
disease compulsory. One attack of any
of the germ diseases usually renders US
immune to future attacks by the same
germ. This is termed acquired immu-
nifty.
The bacteriacidal property OF the blood
| Is another marvellous agency against
germ invasion. All good, healthy blood
possesses this property. which consists
in an extreme antagonism of disease
germs. They cannot live In It, and there
fore the blood is the life-giving fluid: for
not only does It nourish all the tissues,
but It keeps the entire body in a high
| state of antisepsis-in short. proof against
poisonous onslaughts.
We are furthermore provided with cor
puscles, whose duty It IL to act as guards
or sentinels. As soon as a household Of
bad germs has found a Judgement, these
! wonderful little white corpuscles give tho
alarm. and Immediately an army Of them
is sent to the front A battle ensues. II
| the corpuscles win, and the enemy is
routed, a possible disease has been es-
capped. II, however, the means at our
command (rich blood In bacteriacidal
properties and vaIient body guards OF
sufficient strength and force to quell the
Invasion) is lacking the tissues become
the seat of disease Of one kind or another.
The activity of germs, their extremely
rapid multiplication, their action upon
the tissues they invade. their selection or
preference for certain organs-as, for in
stance the tubercle bacillus by prefer
ence selects the lungs, the typhoid bacil-
| lus selects the small intestine-these, and
many more equally fascinating phenom-
ena have been and are being carefully
studied. In the course Of this study ma
! tures methods to assist us have also
| been observed with more and more Won
derment at her achievements IL not in
| terfered with; but she is assisted by her
hand maidens, fresh air, sunlight. clean
| illness, purity, and moderation.
/ II mas peeu ooeci feu I"at INC DouS III
health is extremely resentful of the in
trusion Of bad germs; 1t literally freezes
/ them out, so coldly are they received.
When we are found mapping" that is,
when the blood tissues are below par.
the germs quickly take advantage of it
and set up a household here and there. II
the constitution is a good one-in other
words, If it has strong resisting power-it
quickly frees itself from these unwelcome
pllests and Is itself again
This resisting power of the body is an
other of natures provisos. Precisely
what It consists of, we are not yet able
| to state conclusively. II may be some
inherent quality in individual tissues, or
1t may be a combination Of the agencies
mentioned above: but whatever it is. this
resistance Of the body to disease can be