Contagion

(-tā'jun.) [From L. contagio-conti ngo, I touch. (Med.) That subtle matter which proceeds from a diseased person and communicates the malady to another: as in cases of small-pox, malignant fevers, ., which are often communicated without contact. Two kinds of contagious diseases exist, viz.: those which are communicable by direct contact, such as syphilis, itch, .; and those which are produced either by direct contact or otherwise, as small-pox, . [s. 222]