Am.  jour,  pharm.  >       Books  as  a  Source  af  Disease.  17 
January,  1(J14.    J  '  / 
the  pustules,  in  the  fluid  of  the  body,  and  apparently  in  the  ex- 
halation from  the  lungsand  skin.  The  dried  scales  thrown  off  during 
desquamation  are  the  most  important  element  in  disseminating  the 
malady,  and  is  often  communicated,  through  the  medium  of  clothes, 
furniture,  books,  etc.,  which  have  come  in  contact  with  patients. 
Dr.  P.  A.  Jordan,  of  San  Jose,  California,  states  the  following: 
A  man,  a  great  reader,  continuously  used  books  from  a  circulating 
library  located  in  a  neighboring  town  in  which  there  was  an  epidemic 
of  small-pox,  and  later  developed  a  severe  form  of  small-pox. 
Blood-Poisoning. — Dr.  Emericus  Karacson,  while  making  a  trans- 
lation of  a  Turkish  Manuscript,  in  one  of  the  Mosques  in  Turkey, 
had  his  fingers  soiled  with  some  of  the  mould  which  covered  the  old 
musty  tomes,  and  accidentally  touched  a  cut  on  his  face ;  a  few  weeks 
later  his  face  swelled  up,  causing  him  intense  pain.  A  quick  opera- 
tion relieved  him  of  this  and  his  face  regained  its  normal  size,  and 
he  soon  resumed  his  work,  apparently  in  perfect  health.  About  a 
month  later  he  was  taken  ill  with  fever  and  treated  first  for  influenza, 
then  for  typhoid  fever.  His  condition  growing  worse,  a  Hungarian 
physician  was  sent  for,  who  diagnosed  the  case  at  once  as  blood- 
poisoning,  caused  no  doubt  by  the  fungi  that  had  entered  the  patient's 
system  through  the  abrasion  on  the  face,  and  he  died  within  a  few 
days. 
Venereal  Diseases. — That  the  danger  to  man  from  what  are  called 
the  "  social  evil  "  diseases,  after  exacting  a  cost  in  human  life  and 
physical  disability  beyond  computation,  and  the  necessity  of  using 
means  which  will  prevent  its  spread,  is  now  recognized,  as  seen  by 
the  numerous  societies  being  formed  to  furnish  speakers  and  publish 
literature  upon  the  subject,  thus  forcing  the  public  to  face  the  question 
as  it  has  never  been  done  before. 
A  list  of  articles  found  to  be  carriers  of  the  germs  of  gonorrhea, 
the  one  most  likely  to  be  contracted  through  contact,  would  include 
every  article  of  domestic  and  public  use,  and  even  the  hands  of  the 
unclean  and  ignorant  may  transfer  the  germs  to  the  articles.  A  num- 
ber of  cases  have  been  traced  to  books. 
Diseases,  besides  these  mentioned,  have  been  named  as  being 
transmitted  by  books,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the  germs 
of  other  diseases  found  on  fomites  will  also  be  found  on  books. 
The  bacillus  of  anthrax,  which  occurs  in  cattle,  must  certainly  be 
found  on  the  leather  bindings,  as  it  is  frequently  transmitted  through 
