The Golden Age 19 December 1923, page 164
The mosquito has a bad record. He it is that carries the germs of malaria, yellow fever, dengue or break-bone fever, and filariasis
The Golden Age was an interesting magazine - and provided a constrast to the Watchtower magazine.
The Golden Age published a huge amount of what we would call 'user-submitted' articles - which included the weird and wonderful, and sometimes even, when compared to what we know nowadays, dangerous, including 'quack medicine'. The magazine editors obviously choose what to print, but it was an interesting magazine that reflected the times it was printed in - and the desires and opinions of both the writers and readers looking for a 'golden age.' - it provided people with a conduit to expound their ideas to a wider audience (remember they had no internet back then haha).
rebel8's interesting quote, from the 18 March 1931 edition of The Golden Age - "Do you know the germ theory has never been proven? And it cannot be proven, either" - well, I would move that, more truthfully, the quote should be attributed to 'Germs, the Modern Superstition' by Dr. E. H. Dresden (Iowa) writing in The Golden Age 18 March 1931.
There is no denying that the WT printed it (full page scans below to prove it was printed) - and actually the reference to it is in the WT's 1930-1985 Index which is on the WT CD Library, under the heading 'Germs / Disease' - take a look!
What's interesting is that, if you do look up the Index 1930-1985 - there is another reference provided, in the same year, seven months later - which rebel8 hasn't mentioned, namely 'g31 10/14 23-26' - and which highlights the nature of The Golden Age magazine regarding user submissions...
The Golden Age 14 October 1931, pages 23 to 26
Germane Questions by Roy D. Goodrich (Florida)
The article "Germs, the Modern Superstition", by Dr. E. H.
Dresden, in a recent issue of your esteemed journal, The Golden Age, has been
read with much interest. There is a golden thread of truth that runs throughout
this article, and no doubt the destruction of fanciful and superstitious fears
among the people will be for their good, particularly if truth be substituted
therefor. If certain serum sellers and inoculation mongers should strenuously
object, let the very reasonable hope be expressed that many of them are merely
blinded and not dishonest.
Before accepting all of Dr. Dresden's statements on this interesting
subject, in their entirety, however, I find myself in need of the answers to
some questions which have arisen in my mind, and which, so far as I am aware,
have never been answered by Dr. Dresden or his germ-eating colleagues. Perhaps
many other readers of The Golden Age, finding themselves in this same
predicament, will be glad to consider some of these questions, in connection
with the suggestion that perhaps this new and verdant school of doctors, though
not superstitious, have much weakened their case by the common errors of
exaggeration and the making of unsupported statements.
etc etc
Link to scans
The Golden Age 18 March 1931, pages 404 to 406
The Golden Age 14 October 1931, pages 23 to 26
