An inquiry into the propagation of contagious poisons, by the atmosphere

by Somerville Scott Alison

Instances are known where persons have become affected with weak eyes, with tenderness, watering and disposition to ulceration in these organs, immediately upon being put on spare and poor diet, and where a liberal supply of nutritious food has proved an almost immediate cure. That affection of the eyes was a form of scrophula, and fortunate it was for them that the form in which that disease manifested itself was not more dangerous. They had much reason to be thankful that the injury was capable of cure, and was not irremediable, as it has been in many instances, where the first intimation of the bad consequences of a scanty and insufficient diet has been decided and incurable consumption of the lungs.

When the glands which assume the scrofulous action are those of the lungs, and when they become the seat of the formation of matter, pulmonary consumption is said to be produced, a disease which annually carries off a great proportion of the adult population of this country.

Consumption of the lungs, or pulmonary consumption, is a common affection among those who subsist on scanty and insufficient food, and is frequently observed with dogs and other animals whose sustenance is small and precarious. Scrophula manifests itself in other forms, not less severe and extremely loathsome—in running sores on the neck and other parts, in swellings of the joints, and in various wasting diseases of the bones and their coverings.

In the various forms which this disease assumes, the blood and the different humours of the body become unhealthy and often acrimonious. The milk of nurses who are tainted with that habit is unwholesome, and when they are made to subsist on scanty and insufficient diet, it becomes poor, less nutritious, and positively injurious—and instead of being bland and white, it often appears watery and yellowish, and is irritating and acrimonious.

Food of an unwholesome or vitiated quality is also injurious, and has on many occasions proved to be the cause of much disease. Plants as well as animals are subject to disease, and food when obtained from such sources is highly unwholesome and detrimental to health.

The flesh of animals which have laboured under disease, has, on many occasions, done much harm, and is liable to be much more injurious than flesh which is merely putrid from being too long kept. Flesh merely putrid much more seldom proves hurtful, as, long before it can be very pernicious, it becomes so offensive that it cannot be consumed. Moreover, food which has acquired a slight taint, is more easily digested, its fibres become less tense, less hard, and more easily divided and dissolved in the stomach.

But the most important injuries of the kind have arisen from the use of diseased grain. On the Continent the rye sometimes becomes diseased, and the grain throws out a fungus somewhat like the spur of a cock. Rye thus deteriorated, when used for food, has produced disease of a very serious character. Persons who partake of it suffer great pain of stomach, fiery heat in the extremities, and very violent convulsions. This spurred rye produces mortification of the extremities, of a very remarkable nature.

The late celebrated surgeon, Mr Pott, thus describes these affections. “At the extremity of one or more of the small toes, in more or less time, it passes on to the foot or ankle, and sometimes to a part of the leg, and in spite of all the aid of physic and surgery, most commonly destroys the patient. It is very unlike to the mortification from inflammation, or to that from external cold. In its severer attacks, however, the constitution seems to be generally contaminated, the mind and body become equally debilitated, there is great irritability and a tendency to convulsive action.”

Rye thus diseased produces another distemper, which partakes of the nature of typhus fever and that of plague: it is called by the French “Mal des ardens,” and is generally considered one of the worst forms of the pest. That disease is marked by the most virulent character, and has, on many occasions, committed the most fearful ravages. It commences with a sensation of burning, prostration of strength, delirium, and vehement headach; a bad form of erysipelas attacks the skin, ending in suppuration, matter forms in the armpits and groins, and these symptoms almost invariably terminate in death. There is good reason to believe that the fungus or cock-spur is the product of disease in the plant. It is about the size of a cock-spur, is coffee-coloured, and may be readily detected when the farmer is disposed to use his eyes.

In this country, wheat which has been blighted or infected with the parasitic plant called mildew; has sometimes produced very bad effects, not unlike the severe burning at stomach, and the mortification which supervene on the use of spurred rye on the Continent. Not long ago, several families living in England were nearly destroyed by their using some diseased grain, which a farmer, knowing it to be bad, had sold at a reduced price. Other plants are sometimes known to be attacked with disease, and in that state are ascertained to inflict much mischief. The potato is more particularly injurious when its quality is bad.