DR. J. W. POUCIIER. 259 



cases frequently do in patients over fifty years old, it ran 

 a slow, tedious course during the greater part of three 

 years, and during all this time, in spite of all I could 

 say or do to prevent it, she went about coughing and ex- 

 pectorating everywhere, at first in ordinary cuspidors, 

 or in any convenient place, and after she had grown too 

 weak to get around, began to use cloths, although I tried 

 and did finally discourage their use ; but during all this 

 time I never succeeded in arousing in any of the family 

 any realization of the danger they were in. This woman 

 was the mother of seven children, the youngest a girl 

 sixteen years old.. Five of these were at home and two 

 were away during this time. This patient died about 

 five years ago, and since that time every one of the five 

 who remained at home during the illness of their mother 

 have died from consumption, though up to that time 

 they had all been healthy. The two who remained away 

 are still in first class health. There is no evidence that 

 tubercle bacilli are ever exhaled by the breath, but Koch, 

 Villemin and Thaon have all proven that the disease can 

 be produced in animals by their inhaling tuberculous 

 liquids in the form of spray, and in one of these experi- 

 ments Prof. Thaon himself contracted phthisis, from 

 which he died. 



Next to inhalation by the lungs, the most common 

 source of infection is as I have said, through the food 

 and drink, raw or partially cooked meat, or drinking 

 water that has been exposed to the dust of drying spu- 

 tum. I myself have seen pails of drinking water stand 

 in dusty factories and workshops, where scores of per- 

 sons all quench their thirst with one common cup. But 

 when we consider the alarming prevalence of tuberculosis 

 in cows, and how much of ihe milk we drink is infected, 

 we must consider this a very common source of the dis- 

 ease, especially the infant abdominal tuberculosis, or 

 ^'tabes raesenterica," as it is called by the Germans. The 



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