198 MARRIAGE AND DISEASE. 



tion like that practised against small-pox. Nor is 

 there, seemingly, any reason why some other micro- 

 organism or chemical compound should not be dis- 

 covered which, itself innocuous to the animal organism, 

 would materially modify the virulence of the tubercle 

 bacillus in the system, or destroy the noxious germ 

 altogether. Indeed it might be said that "all things 

 are possible" in this department of medical science. 

 At present hundreds of workers all over the world 

 are labouring earnestly in this field of study, and are 

 adding almost daily to our knowledge of these seeds 

 of disease. Science can never eradicate disease, but it 

 can prune it and keep it within reasonable bounds ; and 

 the discovery of the micro-organisms, upon the presence 

 of which so many diseases have already been proved to 

 depend, will vastly aid Science in this work. 



Let us now briefly consider the diathesis of which 

 we have spoken, which predisposes so strongly to the 

 attack of tubercular disease. 



As there are two distinct types included in the 

 tubercular diathesis, it will simplify matters to take 

 each type separately. I shall therefore first give a 

 very brief enumeration of the characters typical of 

 what we shall call the Phthisical Diathesis, and after- 

 wards a short description of the true Scrofulous 

 Diathesis. 



What we have called the phthisical diathesis is 

 generally marked by the presence of a clear com- 

 plexion, a fine skin, and features well cut and often 

 beautiful. The lips are red, the teeth pearly white, 



