EDWARD ELSWORTH. 239 



It is only within a very few years that it has been 

 absolutely demonstrated that tuberculosis, or consump- 

 tion, is a bacterial disease. It has long been the scourge 

 of the human race, and yet most of us regard it as a 

 disease which is one of the inevitable ills of life. If a 

 single case of cholera appears upon our shores, the whole 

 nation is thrown into a spasm of excitement ; yet we re- 

 gard the universal presence of consumption without 

 alarm, and have not yet awakened to the necessity or 

 the possibility of greatly lessening its ravages by proper 

 sanitary regulations. 



While it may be true that many cases of consumption 

 depend upon a predisposition, caused by heredity, it 

 may be also regarded as true that nearly every case has 

 been caused by inhalation of the bacteria into the lungs. 



Some idea of the ravages of this dreadful disease may 

 be obtained from a glance at the statistics of cases in the 

 various cities, etc., enumerated below. 



In New York State, in 1887, out of 96,453 deaths, 

 11,609 were caused by consumption. 



In New York City, in 1890, in one week in March, the 

 number was 121, out of 772. 



In Chicago, 178 out of 2,072. 



In St. Petersburgh, 128 out of 617. 



In Paris, 248 out of 1,214. 



In London, 206 out of 1,889. 



In Vienna, 116 out of 470. 



In Berlin, 96 out of 650. 



The relation of these appalling facts to the question of 

 dust, lies in the fact that the tubercle bacilli mingles with 

 the dust which may adhere to the walls of the consump- 

 tive's room and house, to the hangings and carpets and 

 upholstery thereof. It is found in the dust cloud of the 

 street, in the dust which rises from the floors of theatres 

 and other public places, and from the floors and furnish- 

 ings of public vehicles. 



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