Volume 2

Fragments of science : a series of detached essays, addresses, and reviews / by John Tyndall.

  • John Tyndall
Date:
1879
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Fragments of science : a series of detached essays, addresses, and reviews / by John Tyndall. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    487/508 (page 475)
    also refers to the quiet., peaceful life and regular habits of these people as being in itself calculated to promote longevity. But the remarkable fact is that out of the 2,099 deaths no less than 1,320 were from tuberculosis, whereas from general statistics it appears that deaths from that cause are not more than from -fth to ^th the entire death-rate. He also points out that the large percentage of deaths from tuberculosis does not occur in the early period of the service of these persons, but only after a lapse of half a year or more, which might be the incubation period of the disease; but that, on the other hand, after this early period is passed, it is the younger members, who have among other duties that of sweeping and cleaning, who are particularly liable to tubercle. For, as he observes, the sputa of phthisical patients can do no harm as long as they are moist, but only when they are diffused in the form of dust. Hence when the dust in the ward has settled, the atmosphere of the ward is almost, if not entirely, harmless. ' Cornet concludes with insisting on the great im- portance of rigorously prohibiting the consumptive patients from spitting on the floor or into pocket- handkerchiefs, or into anything else than a [hand] spittoon. ' Such is an outline of this interesting paper; but I am sorry you cannot see the original' No words of mine are needed to enhance the im- portance of this communication. The only authority in science is the voice of Nature, interpreted by sound reason, or answering to well- devised experiment. Still in science an adverse voice, confidently uttered, can sometimes inflict serious' though temporary, injury both on the truth and on him who utters it. This, I apprehend, was to some