ACUTE ARTICULAR RHEUMATISM 233 



by almost any route, and it is strictly comparable to 

 that seen in human beings. It is not known how 

 the virus leaves the body, but as the nose and throat 

 seem the most likely places, they should be disinfected 

 in both frank and mild ambulant cases and in atten- 

 dants by the use of hydrogen peroxide solution. There 

 is as yet no reliable specific treatment. The only 

 laboratory test consists in finding in the cerebrospinal 

 fluid an excess of a certain organic substance called 

 globulin and a very small number of cells. 



Mumps. This is an acute inflammatory infectious 

 disease of the salivary glands, the cause of which is 

 not known. It is disseminated by direct contact, and 

 the virus is in the saliva. 



Other Diseases. Other diseases which human beings 

 may contract due to invisible viruses, are foot-and- 

 mouth disease of cattle, dengue, trachoma, beri-beri, 

 and pellagra. Nearly all of these viruses are small 

 enough to go through a porcelain filter. It may be 

 said in general that to protect one's self from the infec- 

 tion the local lesions and skin eruptions should be 

 disinfected. 



Acute Articular Rheumatism. The modern concep- 

 tion of this disease is that it is an acute infection. 

 Many bacteria have been described as its cause, but 

 their defenders have not built up unanswerable argu- 

 ments in their support. The theory now holding 

 the stage is that a streptococcus called Streptococcus 

 rheumaticm enters by the tonsils, penetrates to the 

 blood stream, and settles in the joints. Certain it is 

 that we frequently have streptococcus sore throat 

 associated with acute rheumatism, and that the 



