Year: 1873




By DIR. SAMUEL A. MUD.


Nature is made up of like causes
producing similar effects. The diseases
known as contagious producing conta
gions of their kind, and the poison O.
infections producing infections of theil
kind. They are as distinct from each
other in their pathological character as
the different species and variety of an.
imals, and bear no relation, except as
to their medium, in evolving cause and
extension. The human or animal sys-
tenn evolves the germ directly in conta-
gions, and disease is communicable by
contact with the disease. But in the
case of infections, no germ is evolved
from the disease, therefore no number
of sick-noteven ten thousand confined
to one apartments sufficient directly
to generate its poison and consequent
extension. Owing to this fact the eff
efforts of physicians have been vain tc
discover a method of inoculating ty-
phoid fever, yellow fever, cholera, &c,


An example tending in proof of what
[ have alleged, is furnished by the fact
that all physicians agree as to the con-
tagiousness of smallpox and measles.
when a wonderful diversity of opinion
exists in regard to typhoid fever and
yellow fever. This diversity is due in
the first place to education and second
ly, to treating these diseases of infec-
ton in different localities at the same
time without an endeavor to separate
the cause from the effect or considering
the point of origin.


All medical writer's, in speaking OF
infections, use the word infectious as
applied to disease. Infectious is proper
when applied to matter, but no greater
mistake can be made when applied to
the diseased body, for it implies that
the disease is capable of generating its
cause, which is as impossible as that q
burn from a hot iron should produce
the heated metal, or salvation produce
the globule of mercury. There is then
no such thing as all infectious disease
and isolation from one to ten thousand
is its plainest proof. Infected disease
seems to be most proper and expressive
of the true pathological condition. s
/ Infection spreads from bed to bed
been fsl J fsngth Of time exposed fe
the action of human efiuvia, and moi
from local miasma or from individual
to individual, as, no doubt, large ma
iority of the public and profession sup
pose. The error regarding the origin
of diseases, particularly that of yellow
fever, has led, within my own knowl
edge, to serious, fatal consequences, fol
had the very worthy surgeon of th'
post at the Dry Tortugas, in 1867, un
derstood from whence the poison arose
and the manner of its augmentation
we would have been spared the spread
of the fever and the sacrifice of his owl
and many other valuable lives by re-
moving at once from the fort the com
pany Of soldiers and all it's property, il
which the disease first made its appear
ance, and pointed out the presence o
the poison. The surgeon caused tn
company to be removed from the quar-
ters where the disease began, believing
that it was caused by emanations from
the unfinished moat in front, and or
dered the portfolios to be closed to pre-
vent the admission Of the supposed
deadly miasma within the fort. Th'
company, however, was quartered, will
all Of its property, bedding, blankets
&C., in the southeasterly portion of th'
fort, which, instead of cutting shor
the fever, caused its more rapid spread
through the garrison and prisoners b,
the prevailing southeast wind.


We learn from this that had the sur
geon removed only the men, and lef
the property behind, the disease would
have been checked, for then only thos'
who went in these quarters would b.
liable to attack, and the disease, in
stead of manifesting an epidemic form
would appear accidental or sporadic
And had he removed all the beds an(
property of the company from the fort
and had the quarters swept and wash
ed, and clean beds and bedding sup
piled, no more cases would have result
ed.


A knowledge of the nature of infec
tion is invaluable to every government
general or municipal-to prisons O
boarding schools, and particularly t
every master of a ship, for whereve
the bedding and apartments are KEEP
clean by soap and water, and the reg
ulation enforced Of not admitting any
thing aboard a ship in the shape 9
clothing but what has been recent
washed and thoroughly dried, no fea
can be entertained of the breaking OH
of cholera, yellow fever, typhus or tyr
hold fever, &c., on reasonable voyage
The master could, under these circum
stances, convert his ship into choler
or yellow fever hospital, transport tn
sick across the ocean, enter port with
out quarantine, and establish his sic
in clean, comfortable quarters in tn
midst of populous city without Ell
dangering the safety of his crew or tn
inhabitants Of the city.


To give an illustration of infection
when an article of clothing is immeri
ed in solution of any kind the natul
of the solution is impaired, as plainl
perceived by our senses in the varie