188 MICROBES AND HEALTH. 



examinations would undoubtedly prove that the glands 

 in question are not often invaded, and that but few 

 cases of typhoid fever actually exist. 



Can typhoid occur the second time? Not if all the 

 glands are invaded by the first attack, because every 

 gland that is invaded is destroyed and is not replaced, 

 therefore there could be no second invasion. The 

 glands are not often all invaded at one time. 



If there has been a case of general sepsis or poison- 

 ing along the digestive tract, and it changes to typhoid ; 

 i. e., Peyer's patches become invaded, are there any 

 signs or symptoms by which the doctor may know posi- 

 tively that such change has taken place? No, he can 

 only judge from the mass of evidence. General intes- 

 tinal sepsis can and does give all the symptoms of ty- 

 phoid fever, and every doctor of experience understands 

 that many cases of auto or self-infection, with a catar- 

 rhal condition of the stomach and digestive tract, and 

 insufficient liver-action, may be and often are taken 

 for typhoid fever. And some day people will wake up 

 to the fact that typhoid fever depends upon intestinal 

 sepsis that has existed for weeks and probably months 

 before the disease gained a foothold. If this general 

 septic condition is relieved there will be no disease. 



The author knows from experience that the ordinary 

 ase of what may be called typhoid fever can be cured 

 promptly by thorough elimination and disinfection. 

 It is no more or less than a low form of fever which 

 has been brought on by the gradual absorption of many 

 poisons from the digestive tract. Or some of the poi- 

 sons may have crept into v the system from unhealthy 



