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The Health BulIvEtin 11 — *N WAYS OF INFECTION Bad air was once considered a prolific source of infectious and conta-^rious diseases. Foul odors from decaying matter and gas from sewers were thought to cause typlioid fever. Night air was thought to cause malaria fever. And malaria in the system, if not watched, would run into typhoid fever. In recent years we have learned that much of this was wrong. With the improvement of the microscope, germs which were too small to be seen before can now be seen, and many can be grown on artificial food outside the body. They have been studied, and it has been found that they differ greatly in looks and in the way in which they grow and act. It has also been found that those which cause a particular disease—say typhoid fever—all look, grow and act alike, and that when they are injected into the body they will cause typhoid fever, and that they will not cause any other disease. With these discoveries, our older notions as to the vague causes of infectious diseases have given way to definite knowledge. We know the different germs when we see them thi'ough the microscope, and we know what diseases they will cause in the body. When diseases come to us through the air it is by way of germs on dust (which is rare). The association of night air and malaria comes from the fact that the germ of malaria is carried by a kind of mosquito which flies at night. Night air cannot cause malaria, and a malarial mosquito produces the disease just as easily by a bite in the daytime. And malaria cannot run into typhoid fever any more than cotton can turn into tobacco. Each germ disease has its own particular germ. It is possible to grow a crop of diphtheria germs, or cholera germs, or tuberculosis germs as ccrtainly as it is to grow a crop of potatoes. It is known that these germs cause the disease in question as surely as it is known that potatoes make good food, or that poison ivy causes skin disease. Some germs are so small that they have never been seen yet, but they can be grown and be made to cause disease. Their existence is known just as surely as if they were as big as turnips. We have never seen the germ of smallpox, but it has been studied in the laboratory. It can be made to cause smallpox, and a vaccine can be made to prevent it. It follows all the laws of a germ disease, and when the microscope is further improved, the germ will be seen. Some germs are very small plants, called bacteria. Others are very small animals, called protozoa. Typhoid fever is caused by microscopic plants— the typhoid bacteria. Malaria fever is caused by microscopic animals — the malarial protozoa. Germs, therefore, follow the laws of plants and animals. Like produces like, and every one comes from a similar one before it somewhere. If you plant cotton it does not come up tobacco, and if you have typhoid fever you have taken a typhoid germ into your body. You may eat all the filth in the world, but it will not give you typhoid fever unless the typhoid germ is in it. And you may die from typhoid fever from the germs you drink in sparkling water which may look and taste ever so good and clean. It takes the germs of a disease to give you the disease, and you cannot have the disease without the germ. Long before germs were discovered, it was known that smallpox, cholera, syphilis, plague and many other diseases were contagious—that is, that sick persons could transmit the disease to the well. The search for disease germs was first made in the sick, and there they were found. It was thought for a time that the sick person could spread the germs of his disease only while he was sick, believing that the germs disappeared as he became well. One of the important discoveries of recent years is that the germs of most diseases are not confined exclusively to the sick, but are frequently found in well persons. It has been learned that the bacteria which cause diphtheria often remain in the throat for a time after the patient is well—sometimes for a few weeks,
Object Description
Rating | |
Fixed Title * | NCHH-04: The Health Bulletin [1914-1973] |
Document Title | The Health Bulletin [1914-1973] |
Subject Topical | Public health -- North Carolina -- Periodicals. |
Subject Topical Other | Public Health -- North Carolina -- Periodicals. |
Contributor | North Carolina. State Board of Health. |
Publisher | Raleigh, North Carolina State Board of Health. |
Repository | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Health Sciences Library. |
Host | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Date | 1923 |
Identifier | NCHH-04-038 |
Form General | Periodicals |
Language | English |
Rights | This item is part of the North Carolina History of Health Digital Collection. Some materials in the Collection are protected by U.S. copyright law. This item is presented by the Health Sciences Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for research and educational purposes. It may not be republished or distributed without permission of the Health Sciences Library. |
Digital Collection | North Carolina History of Health Digital Collection |
Sponsor | The North Carolina History of Health Digital Collection is an open access publishing initiative of the Health Sciences Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Financial support for the initiative was provided in part by a multi-year NC ECHO (Exploring Cultural Heritage Online) digitization grant, awarded by the State Library of North Carolina, and funded through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). |
Volume Number | 38 |
Health Discipline | Public Health |
Digital Format | JPEG 2000 |
Print / Download PDF Version | http://archives.hsl.unc.edu/nchh/nchh-04/nchh-04-038.pdf |
Document Sort | all; group-b; nchh-04 |
Volume Link | http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/search/collection/nchh/field/identi/searchterm/NCHH-04-038 |
Title Link | http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/search/collection/nchh/field/documa/searchterm/NCHH-04 |
Catalog Record link | http://search.lib.unc.edu/search?R=UNCb1296443 |
Description
Fixed Title * | Page 4 |
Document Title | The Health Bulletin [1914-1973] |
Subject Topical | Public health -- North Carolina -- Periodicals. |
Subject Topical Other | Public Health -- North Carolina -- Periodicals. |
Contributor | North Carolina. State Board of Health. |
Publisher | Raleigh, North Carolina State Board of Health. |
Repository | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Health Sciences Library. |
Host | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Date | 1923 |
Identifier | NCHH-04-038-0010 |
Form General | Periodicals |
Page Type | all; report/review |
Language | English |
Rights | This item is part of the North Carolina History of Health Digital Collection. Some materials in the Collection are protected by U.S. copyright law. This item is presented by the Health Sciences Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for research and educational purposes. It may not be republished or distributed without permission of the Health Sciences Library. |
Filename | healthbulletinse38nort_0010.jp2 |
Digital Collection | North Carolina History of Health Digital Collection |
Sponsor | The North Carolina History of Health Digital Collection is an open access publishing initiative of the Health Sciences Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Financial support for the initiative was provided in part by a multi-year NC ECHO (Exploring Cultural Heritage Online) digitization grant, awarded by the State Library of North Carolina, and funded through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). |
Volume Number | 38 |
Issue Number | *1-4 |
Page Number | 4 |
Health Discipline | Public Health |
Full Text | The Health BulIvEtin 11 — *N WAYS OF INFECTION Bad air was once considered a prolific source of infectious and conta-^rious diseases. Foul odors from decaying matter and gas from sewers were thought to cause typlioid fever. Night air was thought to cause malaria fever. And malaria in the system, if not watched, would run into typhoid fever. In recent years we have learned that much of this was wrong. With the improvement of the microscope, germs which were too small to be seen before can now be seen, and many can be grown on artificial food outside the body. They have been studied, and it has been found that they differ greatly in looks and in the way in which they grow and act. It has also been found that those which cause a particular disease—say typhoid fever—all look, grow and act alike, and that when they are injected into the body they will cause typhoid fever, and that they will not cause any other disease. With these discoveries, our older notions as to the vague causes of infectious diseases have given way to definite knowledge. We know the different germs when we see them thi'ough the microscope, and we know what diseases they will cause in the body. When diseases come to us through the air it is by way of germs on dust (which is rare). The association of night air and malaria comes from the fact that the germ of malaria is carried by a kind of mosquito which flies at night. Night air cannot cause malaria, and a malarial mosquito produces the disease just as easily by a bite in the daytime. And malaria cannot run into typhoid fever any more than cotton can turn into tobacco. Each germ disease has its own particular germ. It is possible to grow a crop of diphtheria germs, or cholera germs, or tuberculosis germs as ccrtainly as it is to grow a crop of potatoes. It is known that these germs cause the disease in question as surely as it is known that potatoes make good food, or that poison ivy causes skin disease. Some germs are so small that they have never been seen yet, but they can be grown and be made to cause disease. Their existence is known just as surely as if they were as big as turnips. We have never seen the germ of smallpox, but it has been studied in the laboratory. It can be made to cause smallpox, and a vaccine can be made to prevent it. It follows all the laws of a germ disease, and when the microscope is further improved, the germ will be seen. Some germs are very small plants, called bacteria. Others are very small animals, called protozoa. Typhoid fever is caused by microscopic plants— the typhoid bacteria. Malaria fever is caused by microscopic animals — the malarial protozoa. Germs, therefore, follow the laws of plants and animals. Like produces like, and every one comes from a similar one before it somewhere. If you plant cotton it does not come up tobacco, and if you have typhoid fever you have taken a typhoid germ into your body. You may eat all the filth in the world, but it will not give you typhoid fever unless the typhoid germ is in it. And you may die from typhoid fever from the germs you drink in sparkling water which may look and taste ever so good and clean. It takes the germs of a disease to give you the disease, and you cannot have the disease without the germ. Long before germs were discovered, it was known that smallpox, cholera, syphilis, plague and many other diseases were contagious—that is, that sick persons could transmit the disease to the well. The search for disease germs was first made in the sick, and there they were found. It was thought for a time that the sick person could spread the germs of his disease only while he was sick, believing that the germs disappeared as he became well. One of the important discoveries of recent years is that the germs of most diseases are not confined exclusively to the sick, but are frequently found in well persons. It has been learned that the bacteria which cause diphtheria often remain in the throat for a time after the patient is well—sometimes for a few weeks, |
Digital Format | JPEG 2000 |
Print / Download PDF Version | http://archives.hsl.unc.edu/nchh/nchh-04/nchh-04-038.pdf |
Document Sort | all; group-b; nchh-04 |
Volume Link | http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/search/collection/nchh/field/identi/searchterm/NCHH-04-038 |
Title Link | http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/search/collection/nchh/field/documa/searchterm/NCHH-04 |
Catalog Record link | http://search.lib.unc.edu/search?R=UNCb1296443 |
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