The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-04-02
Aerial Microscopy.


A British microscopic has recently pub
lished the results Of extensive experiments in
this novel but intensely interesting domain Of
science. The microscopic examination Of cir,
it has been long promised, would afford many
clews to the origin of the great epidemics, and
also solve many interesting points of medical
and agricultural climatology. A great physi-
clan has shown that we take into our lungs
daily from one thousand to two thousand gall
Ions Of DIR. The detection of impurities in
the air and the discovery Of their sanitary
effect is of the utmost practical moment.
In the experiments Of Mr.. Douglas Cum
bingham, now referred to, the specimens Of
air were taken in the tropical atmosphere near
Calcutta in thin brass tubes. Among the
chief conclusions reached we find that in
fusorial animalcules, their germs and ova, are
almost entirely absent from atmospheric dust.
No connection could be traced between the
number of germs found present in the air
and the prevalence Of cholera, dysentery,
diarrhea, ague and other diseases. Although
this latter conclusion seems to discourage the
hope of connecting the origin of disease with
atmospheric germs, and apparently upsets
Professor Tyndalrs famous theory of the re-
lation between "dust and disease" the ex-
periments were not exhaustive, and refer only
to aerial particles distinguishable while in
the air. Countless finer molecules, perhaps
peopled with living beings, may and doubt
less will be found present in the air. That
the air is itself heavily freighted with in
fusorial life, capable of affecting the human
system, as we know it often fatally affects
hardy vegetation, has long since been fully
established. In 1863 Pasteur, the eminent
French microscopic, investigated the diseased
silkworms, upon whose health and labors the
prosperity of the Empire largely depended.
Although the microscope could not detect the
plague corpuscles in the fertile egg of the
silkworn, and the scientist was at first
bafled, he soon conjectured that the worm
and its infusorial parasite grew together and
the tests confirmed his conjecture. At later
stage of the development he was enabled
to wash the claws of the diseased worms,
and, under the lens, easily found the enlarged
plague corpuscles. It is well known that in
wounds where the blood is mixed with air
that has passed through the lungs there is less
danger OF putrefaction, since the air has thus
been filtered. 1t is obvious that the deposit
ton of organic matter and infusoria in the
respiratory organs must be great source Of
disease, especially pulmonary, and this re-
search has an immense practical significance.
The discovery of Mr.. Douglas Cunningham,
that these swarms of atmospheric infusoria do
not make the dust particles their habitat SO
much as that they live Independently Of them,
is of especial interest to the denizens of our
large and dusty cities. It may be hasty to
assume that the animalcular life examined by
Pasteur was derived from the cir, and that il
may not have been existent in vegetable sur
faces with which the silkworm had been in
oculated by contact. But, at any rate, the
atmosphere is the medium of transit for
these organisms, and the microscopic and
chemical analysis Of the air in the various
geographical zones and special localities
would richly repay the investigator.