स्काटलैंडके एक नगर में विपत्तिको मारी एक दरिद्र स्त्री आयी। उसके पास न रहनेको स्थान था और न भोजनको अन्न। वह बुढ़िया हो चुकी थी, इससे मजदूरी करनेमें भी असमर्थ थी। उसने घर घर भटककर शरण चाही कि अस्तबलके ही एक कोनेमें उसे कोई आश्रय दे दे; किंतु किसीने उसकी दुर्दशा देखकर भी दया नहीं की। उसे नगरके बाहर एक खुले स्थानमें पड़े रहना पड़ा। भूख और सर्दीके मारे वह बीमार हो गयी। भला दरिद्रको चिकित्सा कौन करता, बीमारी बढ़ती गयी और अन्तमें वह छूत फैलनेवाली बीमारीमें बदल गयी।वह दरिद्र वृद्धा तो मर गयी, किंतु उसके शरीरमें रोगके जो कीटाणु उत्पन्न हुए थे, उन्होंने पूरे नगर में वह रोग फैला दिया। ऐसा घर कोई कदाचित् ही बचा हो जिसमें उस रोगसे उस समय कोई मरा न हो। नगरमें हाहाकार मच गया।
A poor woman struck by calamity came to a town in Scotland. He had neither a place to live nor food to eat. She had become old, she was unable to even do wages. He wandered from house to house and sought shelter that someone should give him shelter in a corner of the stable itself; But no one showed mercy even after seeing his plight. He had to lie down in an open place outside the city. She fell ill due to hunger and cold. Who would treat a poor person, the disease kept increasing and at last it turned into a contagious disease. The poor old woman died, but the germs that had been produced in her body spread the disease throughout the city. There is hardly any such house left in which no one has died of that disease at that time. There was an outcry in the city.
English scholar Carlyle has written in relation to this incident- ‘These rich people had not accepted that poor woman as their sister in their life; But after her death he had to accept that she was really his sister; Because in his happiness and health, the happiness and health of the whole city was involved.’-Su Sin 0
