112 BEAUrEKTIIUY ON TRADITION IN MEDICINE 



luid been used to bury yellow feAer cases, Professor 

 Harrison, now of British (Tuiana, and Mr. Sutton 

 Moxly, Chaplain of the Forces, both then in Barbados, 

 luidertook a series of experiments to test by inoculation 

 in the lower animals whether the mould of yellow fever 

 graves was infective or not. The experiments were 

 also an answer to observations made by Dr. Freire of 

 Rio, to the effect that the soil from burials spread the 

 disease. Harrison and JNIoxly's experiments showed 

 that so far as small animals Avere concerned the soil 

 was non-infectious. 



The most interesting observation of these two early 

 investigators was the following pregnant statement : 



" The theory that we believe, in view of all the 

 apparently contradictory facts of the case, to be the 

 most reasonable, and that, if not generally accepted 

 now, will be when the history of the disease is 

 thoroughly known, and when the apparently contra- 

 dictory facts are compared, and given each their due 

 weight, is that yellow fever is a highly contagious 

 disease, but that the germs, whatever they may be, 

 require some time and suitable opportunity for their 

 development before they can reproduce themselves in 

 another body ; and that thus the disease is not at least 

 generally communical)lc from a sick person to another 

 who may be in ever so close proximity to him." 



Surely this is an extraordinary coincidence — Beau- 

 perthuy certain that it was a mosquito that trans- 

 ferred the poison, Harrison equally con\'inced that that 

 poison required some time and suitable opportunity 

 to develop itself outside the bod}^ before it could infect. 



