142 Eugene RoUln Corson 



one-third greater that the colored, which, with our present 

 light on the subject, must be a great error. It simply shows 

 that the Indian returns have been more complete. And the 

 same applies to the excessive mortalit}^ among the Irish. The 

 cities drawn from have had this element of their population 

 especially large. All this but convinces me the more that we 

 can draw more accurate conclusions from a small section with 

 complete returns than a superficial survey of a large territory 

 with incomplete returns. 



To the physician treating the disease among the colored, its 

 great fatality is but too apparent. I can hardly recall a case 

 where I have stayed it, and they die without the slightest re- 

 sponse to treatment, and in a very short time. I have on 

 many occasions been able to trace its contagiousness, .several 

 members of the same famih^ goi"g down in succession, the 

 same room and the same bed serving for all. No one can 

 doubt its contagiousness from such experiences. Soon after 

 Koch brought out his lymph, I tried it ver}' prudently with a 

 mulatto but with such terrible aggravation that I never dared 

 attempt it again. 



So far as my experience goes, I have failed to find among 

 the colored, many cases of local tubercular trouble, outside 

 the lungs, brain, or elementary tract, and I explain it by this 

 very great susceptibility. Local tubercular processes of skin, 

 bone, or mucous membrane, of any duration, presuppose a 

 certain amount of resistive power on the part of the body, 

 preventing its becoming pulmonary or general. It is kept 

 local. I do not believe the negro can long have a tuberculous 

 focus in any part of the body without its rapidly becoming 

 pulmonary or general. Further, my experience teaches me 

 that the mulatto is more susceptible than the pure negro. It 

 is with them that I have mostly .seen tho.se galloping cases 

 which defy all efforts to restrain. 



I have never seen a case of lupus in the negro, of tubercu- 

 lous lesions of the bones I have seen but few cases. I can 

 recall but few cases of tubercular peritonitis upon the diag- 

 nosis of which I felt any confidence. Tuberculosis of the 

 genito-urinary organs I believe is more common, as following 

 in the wake of gonorrhoeal infections. 



