DISEASE. 



DOMINION OF CANADA. 267 



things were really present as causes of these mala- 

 dies, then most assuredly ought they to conform to 

 that fatal type which is almost inseparable from the 

 notion of a general parasitic disease, and which we 

 find exemplified by the course of pe'brine, the 

 " blood," and " malignant pustule." The fact, then, 

 that the general tendency in the acute specific dis- 

 eases is undoubtedly toward recovery rather than 

 toward death, speaks strongly against the resem- 

 blance supposed to exist between them and the para- 

 sitic affections alluded to, and also against the hy- 

 pothesis that they are dependent upon the presence 

 of self-multiplying germs within the body. Such 

 germs, when present, would be sure to go on increas- 

 ing until they 'brought about the death of their 

 host. 



These considerations alone should suffice to in- 

 spire grave doubts as to the truth of the " germ-the- 

 ory." And such doubts may be reenforced by many 

 others. Thus, the several affections being distinct 

 from one another, this theory demands a belief in 

 the existence of about twenty different kinds of 

 organisms never known in their mature condition, 



but whose presence as invisible, non-developing 

 germs is constantly postulated, solely on the ground 

 of the occurrence ot certain effects supposed to bo 

 otherwise incapable of occurring. That, if existent, 

 they are no mere ordinary germs of known organ- 

 isms is obvious, because the presence of these has 

 again and again been shown to be incapable of pro- 

 ducing the diseases in question. Mr. Foster says : 

 " There is not, perhaps, on the face of the earth, a 

 human creature who lives on coarser fare, or to a 

 civilized people more disgusting, than a Calmuck 

 Tartar. Raw putrid fish, or the flesh of carrion 

 horses, oxen, and camels is the ordinary food of the 

 Calmucks, and they are more active and less sus- 

 ceptible to the inclemency of the weather than any 

 race of men I have ever seen." It has, moreover, 

 been frequently demonstrated that the organisms 

 of ordinary putrefactions may be introduced even 

 into the blood of man and animals without the pro- 

 duction of any of these specific diseases. 



Dr. Bastian tabulates the whole of the com- 

 municable diseases as follows: 



PARASITIC DISEASES AFFECTING : 



DOMINION OF CANADA. Since we last 

 wrote of this important Confederation of Brit- 

 ish Provinces, it has been further enlarged by 

 the admission of British Columbia, a colony of 

 not more than 12,000 inhabitants exclusive 

 of Indians and Chinese, who probably amount 

 to nearly twice that number but of large re- 



sources, especially in its fisheries' and minerals, 

 and so situated as, we are told, to be adapted 

 to command, not only the trade of the western 

 side of the continent, and the islands of the 

 Pacific, but also that of the trans-Pacific conn 

 tries. Hitherto, its isolation was such as to 

 render development to any large extent scarce- 



