The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-10-28 00:00:00

THE GERM THEORY OF DISEASE.

Professor Tyndall opened the Winter course of
popular scientific lectures in Glasgow on Thursday
night. He chose the process of fermentation as the
subject of address, and in connection therewith dis-
cussed the germ theory of epidemic disease. Two
hundred years ago, he said, Robert Boyle wrote in his
essay on the Pathological Part of Physic, "that he
that thoroughly understands the nature of ferments
and fermentations shall probably be much better able
han he that ignores them to give a fair account of
dyers phenomena of several diseases (as well fevers as
chert) which will, perhaps, be never Properly under-
soul without an insight into the doctrine of ferments-
thus." lut it was only in this our day that men were
beeinning to realise the truth of these pregnant
w(rds. II the domain of surgery, Professor Lister, of
Ecinburgh had demonstrated in his antiseptic
treatment hat the putrefaction of wounds was
to be aveted by the destruction of bactria.
Pausing free surgery to the domain of medi-
cine, he sd the conviction was spreading and
growing dailln strength, that reproductive parasitic
life was at te root of epidemic disease—that living
ferments find .g lodgment in the body increased there
and multiplie, directly raining the tissue on which
they subaiateder dettroying life indirectly by the gene•
ratien of poisoeus tompounds within the body. This
conclusion, wh.h ume to us with a presumption
almost amountiot tolemonstration, had been clinched
by the fact that eiteantly infective diseases had been
discovered with walcliving organisms were as closely
and as indissolubly cnected as the growth of torula
was with the fermeation of beer. And here he
wished to utter a wning to well-meaning people.
We had now resell a phase of this question
when it was of t very last importance that
light should once ) all be thrown upon the
manner in (which coagious and infectious diseases
take root and sprd. To this end the action
of various fermentsupon the organs and tissues
of the living body ret be studied, the habit of each
special organism cortned in the production of each
specific disease mukee determined, and the mode by
which its germs are read abroad as sources of further
infection. It was orby such rigidly accurate inquiries
that we could obtahnal and complete mastery over
these destroyers. lice while abhorring cruelty of all
kinds, while shrinlg sympathetically from all animal
suffering—sufferin'hich his own pursuits never called
upon him to inflian unbiased survey of the field of
research now oped out before the physiologist caused
him to coaclude t; no greater calamity could befall
the human race 0 the stoppage of experimental in-
qniry in tiais dirion. A lady whose philanthropy
had rendered hteustrions said to him some time ago
that science was Inning immoral ; that the researches
of the past, unlitose of the present, were carried
on without criy. He replied to her that the
science of Keplind Newton, to which she referred,
inorganic
matter, with thetvs and phenomena of
matter, but thae great advance made by modern
science was in erection of biology or the science of
life, and that iris new direction scientific inquiry,
though at the set pursued at the cost of some
temporary safe, would in the end prove a thousand
times more beant than it had hitherto been. It
was exceedingmportant that such assemblies as
that which he addressing should see clearly the
issues at staktiuch questions as this, and that the
properly infer common sense of the community
should temper,not restrain, the rashness of those
who, meaning e tender, would virtually enact the
moat hideous cty by _the imposition of short-sighted
restrictions uphysiological investigation. It was a
modern instant zeal for God, but not according to
knowledge, teccesses of which zeal an instructed
public opiniorst correct.