74 ESSAYS ON BACTERIOLOGY. 



interest centers aronnd tuberculosis. It is generally 

 conceded that family history plays an important role 

 in this disease ; but whether this is to be laid chiefly to 

 the charge of some general or special predisposition, 

 of infection growing out of closer association or of 

 house contamination, or of actual hereditary trans- 

 mission of the disease germs, remains open to debate. 

 Baumgarten has steadfastly and earnestly advocated 

 the latter view, which is rendered more plausible by 

 the accumiTlating facts as to the possibility of tubercle 

 germs remaining long latent in the living body. Yet 

 there are many things to be explained before we can 

 accept Baumgarten's view. In the meantime noth- 

 ing has been brought to light to in any way shate the 

 great truth that tuberculosis is to be included among 

 the specific infectious diseases, and that multitudes 

 are falling victims to this infection in the ordinary 

 way. The chronic character of the malady, the many 

 secondary factors influencing its inception and prog- 

 ress, and above all its long period of incubation, these 

 things alone prevent the general recognition of its in- 

 fectious character as clearly as that of measles, scarla- 

 tina or smallpox. Surely the time will not be long 

 before failure of such recognition and consequent ac- 

 tion will be properly held as evidence of criminal 

 neglect. 



In a former paper I endeavored to summarize 

 briefly the status of our knowledge as to the relation- 

 ship between particular disease and particular bac- 



