that have descended from parents, who were scrofulous in their youth and
remained so, or that became tuberculous later on and at the time of
generation were afflicted by advanced scrofula or tuberculosis, or that
were suffering from oft-treated but never entirely cured syphilis. Some
scientists claim to have observed the inheritance of scrofula by
children, whose parents at the time of generation were afflicted with
tuberculosis or were suffering from general debility resulting from
hunger and want.

In the majority of cases scrofula is acquired, as a rule the development
of this disease is favored by indigence and poor hygienic conditions
according to the coinciding experience of all scientists; _nutrition_,
especially in the first year of life, has the greatest influence on the
origin of scrofula.

In _infancy_ the most frequent cause of scrofula is the premature giving
of _farinaceous_ food besides the mother's milk, or the feeding of
children with so-called pap, especially when this is done in the _first
month of their life_.

In later months the excessive eating of bread, potatoes or vegetables
instead of milk has an injurious effect.

Furthermore the development of scrofula is favored by the breathing of
_foul damp air_ such as is frequently found in newly built or damp
houses and also by _deficient care of the skin_.

Scrofula thrives in the narrow tenement dwellings in which is found a
close, overheated, foul air pregnant with smoke, kitchen fumes and
mustiness from the damp walls.

Frequently the development of scrofula has been observed to succeed
measles, diphtheria, scarlatina or whooping-cough.

The opponents of vaccination also designate vaccination as a frequent
cause of scrofula. It is supposed that a poison is transferred into the
system with the lymph which is enabled to generate the phenomena of
scrofula. However the supposition has not as yet been proven.

Of course the fact cannot be denied, that cases of developing scrofula
have been at times observed as succeeding vaccination. But the
circumstances are the same as in the case of the contagious diseases
mentioned above. No one will probably maintain that in those cases in
which the development of scrofula had been succeeding those diseases,
that this has resulted from a poison generated by the preceding disease.

The attempt to designate symptoms by which to recognize a scrofulous
constitution has at all times been made. Many physicians