218 THE INVISIBLE WORLD 



carry germs in their clothing and communicate 

 them to the other scholars. 



Sometimes, in such homes teachers board, attend- 

 ing to their daily duties in the school room, with no 

 apparent thought of scattering the seeds of death 

 among the scholars. 



Consumptives, far gone with the disease, are 

 elected to offices of public trust, here associate with 

 their fellows in office and with the workmen under 

 their charge, seemingly with no sense of spreading 

 infection from their persons, or by their sputum, 

 only too often scattered helter skelter. Two such 

 persons were recently elected to offices in this city. 

 The one served three years, and died within four 

 months after leaving office. The other served 

 three and a half years, working, in his poor way, 

 with his associate officers and with the workmen 

 under his charge up to, and on, the very day when 

 he died! 



This state appoints men, paying them for their 

 services, to give public lectures on tuberculosis. 

 Their duty is to enlighten the people on this sub- 

 ject. Two years ago, one of these lecturers gave 

 an address in this city. He told the audience that 

 tuberculosis is not contagious, but that it is hered- 

 itary. Two bigger errors could not have been 

 spoken. He further claimed that tuberculosis is 

 curable, citing himself as an example. The dis- 

 ease, he said, was in his own family. He had him- 

 self inherited it from his parents. After fighting 

 it for years, he had cured himself. Then he pro- 



