Червона чума
Chapter 2
“Yes,that’swhereIwas. Amandidnotnoticeatfirstwhenonlyafewofthesegermsgotintohisbody. Buteachgermbrokeinhalfandbecametwogerms,andtheykeptdoingthisveryrapidlysothatinashorttimethereweremanymillionsoftheminthebody. Thenthemanwassick. Hehadadisease,andthediseasewasnamedafterthekindofagermthatwasinhim. Itmightbemeasles,itmightbeinfluenza,itmightbeyellowfever;itmightbeanyofthousandsandthousandsofkindsofdiseases.
“Nowthisisthestrangethingaboutthesegerms. Therewerealwaysnewonescomingtoliveinmen’sbodies. Longandlongandlongago,whentherewereonlyafewmenintheworld,therewerefewdiseases. Butasmenincreasedandlivedcloselytogetheringreatcitiesandcivilizations,newdiseasesarose,newkindsofgermsenteredtheirbodies. Thuswerecountlessmillionsandbillionsofhumanbeingskilled. Andthemorethicklymenpackedtogether,themoreterriblewerethenewdiseasesthatcametobe. Longbeforemytime,inthemiddleages,therewastheBlackPlaguethatsweptacrossEurope. ItsweptacrossEuropemanytimes. Therewastuberculosis,thatenteredintomenwherevertheywerethicklypacked. Ahundredyearsbeforemytimetherewasthebubonicplague. AndinAfricawasthesleepingsickness. Thebacteriologistsfoughtallthesesicknessesanddestroyedthem,justasyouboysfightthewolvesawayfromyourgoats,orsquashthemosquitoesthatlightonyou. Thebacteriologists—”
“But,Granser,whatisawhat-you-call-it?”Edwininterrupted.
