206 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [September, 



only insinuate themselves by means of the air and aliments, but they 

 likewise enter the flesh by the outside. * * * 



" Thus we may possibly account for several diseases to which we are 

 liable. This may be one way by which the small-pox is conveyed from 

 parents to children, from generation to generation, which disease I am 

 not only apt to think is primarily caused by inimicable animalculse, but 

 also verily believe it may certainly be prevented, especially in adults, 

 by destroying the very essence of the distemper, whether it be some 

 species of animalculae, or its ova, as I hava conjectured. « * « j 

 conjecture that it is very possible several distempers may be caused by 

 animalculae. * * * Xt may not be improbable that several species 

 of animalculas, flying or swimming in air, may, at their largest growth 

 and utmost perfection, be so wonderfully minute as to be capable of 

 entering into our bodies. * * * One species of animalcules, b}' 

 their wonderful smallness and injurious parts, may instantly offend the 

 brain and nerves, and cause apoplexies and sudden death ; while other 

 species may produce the plague, pestilence or malignant fevers, small- 

 pox, etc. ; and others, again, chronic diseases, such as hypochondria, 

 melancholy, vapors, gout, scurvy, rheumatism, evil, leprosy, consump- 

 tion, etc. * * * Blancard, in his Physical Dictionary, tells us: 

 ' The microscope tells us the parts of the blood are sound, but that in 

 fevers it's full of worms.' Etmuller says : 'An universal plague is 

 foretold by unwonted swarms of insects resorting to a country.' * * * 



" Dr. Winder, in the Philosophical Transactions, writing of a murrain 

 in Switzerland, states : ' On the borders of Italy a murrain infected the 

 cattle, which spread further into Switzerland, the territories of Wur- 

 temburg, and over other provinces, and made great destruction amongst 

 the cattle. The contagion seem.ed to propagate itself in a blue mist that 

 fell upon those pastures where the cattle grazed, insomuch that whole 

 herds returned home sick, being very dull, forbearing their food, and 

 most of them would die in twenty-four hours. Upon dissection, were 

 discovered lai'ge and corrupted spleens, spachelous and con'oded 

 tongues ; some had angina malignas. Those persons that carelessly 

 managed their cattle without a due respect to their health, were them- 

 selves infected, and died like their beasts. I am assured by two travel- 

 lers that this contagion reached the borders of Poland, having passed 

 quite through Germany, spreading near two German miles every twen- 

 ty-four hours, continually making progressive voyages, suffering no 

 neighboring parishes to escape. ' " 



Next Dr. Marten calls our attention to the fact that the Bible gives 

 description of animalculae : 



' The plague of leprosy mentioned in Holy Writ affected not only the 

 Jews, but their clothes, and the very walls of their houses, and was 

 known by greenish or reddish streaks eaten into their walls, etc.'^JLe- 

 viticus^ J^th chapter. 



I have given only extracts from this exceedingly interesting volume, 

 but they are enough to prove that in 1720 the germ theory was not new, 

 for the author refers us to a volume, supposed to be nearly 6,000 years 

 old, that describes the growth of bacteria without the aid of special 

 ovens regulated to certain temperatures, and gelatine or other delicate 

 cv\\\n&\aow.— Medical Age. 



