The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-09-10
TIE ZYMOTIC DISEASE.
PERTINENT ILLUSTRATIONS nv A
GEEy PHYSICIAN.
Easy Entrance of aessease Germs Into the
system Prof. TyHaala's Experiment
and Ats ssesmlts-AppHAeat tl0n af ths
idea ta the Yellow EeveF-New Mis-


system Pres. TyHAalFs Experiment
and Hts sseswlts-AppHleatlo tlon nS the
idea to- the Eesaow FeveR-New nis~
eoyeries.
Washington Postl
As ha been heretofore stated, 1ymotie dis
ehses are suhdiPided into several orders ae-
eprding as they tarse from the introdustion Into
lungs. imbibed in fluids, ipgeste1 In our foud
or absorbed through abtasiens Or wounds upon
the SURFACE of the body, Through these four
put the aid OF microscope gain admission
into the system, and produce various diseases,
@n sn IN "sseegs ais ora or ~ ha Is
Illustrative of the possibility Of mile, osoopn
disease germs entering the system through 90
oegen wound may be mentioned the. experienc
Of Prof. Tyndal, during period Of ennduUt ing
OK parlments. In Bwltnsriand intending ta de-
moat,ate 4 ne a aSatenon e. Of the baotsra gsr5
wound in his rambes, which he dressed by
simply wrapping around the limba clean hand
Ing to bis re room IN be % pemained uuet four sf or ve
days. at the end Of which time no pain or In
oonyenience being felt, he removed the hanh-
healthy appearance He applied TO the wound
this time on dressing. q, piece of gold
bSst9Es s room hH sr sb s bed 'fa as1s oE Eo a
after this. expos re and second dressing OF
the wound Inflammation anu suppuration
developed, and q sinus and absGess formed, re-
curing over month TO heal. The question
therefore arose la the inqpiring mind Of the
professor as to what caused this sudden change
in tho healthy wound, and the answer was found
IN the discovery that the germs Of putrefac I've
change, the bacteria, were floating In the air Of
the room, and had aliehted upon the wound.
beaters' skin with which it was dressed Ex-
psfiments with clear lnfusions Of 0sh flesh and
vegetable under the microscope as heretofore
eEplained demonstrated the Faot
~ tnrther .h % nro9f that dlsease germs o9nveyed
wounds, MS In inocnlatlon, will produce vir-
uen' disease ls found In the experiments {
DR., Koch. of Germany. He placed o drop of
blood # an animal suffering with .spenio fever
tain minute rod like hlaments. and which
rapidly increased in length. After n time he
erehssed into ovoid bodies, ,and were
g. p" or left ooafs fs 6gvsns By hs 'SSt's Sss nSs PTs
sssms gpd to eeast'tg 5bs 90 Yentseion ''Ss q t6s
fever. The doctor inceulhted healthy animals
with this blood, and they inyhrAby died within
thirty hours alter. The doctor Immediately
sought to ascertain how long these disease
for this purpose dried a uhantity Of blood Of m
animal dying With the fever, which he REDUCED
t. t. 81 in mpaIpab'e powder = ana a. lett !, exposed t.
eetting wet and drying alternately for period
Of four years. after which he ,inoounted
equally as vruont as was the fresh blood, and
there was no single escape from death after in
.ooueti,n by this hl9od-dust four years exposed
If the blood Of nn animal suffering with this
virule" + disease should, by accident or dnsign
and being deposited iu some favorable . acs
should dry and be reduced to powder. and
that powdered blood should be waited by the
winds TO soms fnvornble locality and be drawn
into the lungs Of human beings, who shall SAY
that an spdAnlo would not result possibly as
fatal rs the ono now soourging our Southern
citiss2
As yellow fever is eminently o blood poisoned
dlss.ease, anI as there is the strongest ,proba
biliy that this poison is due to the introduction
into the blood of living organisms, 1t seems
proper that microscopic examinations of the
blood OF patients having this disease should be
made, and since disease germs havs been
found In the blood Of animals having yirulsnt
fever. there seems reason to doubt their sx~
istence in the circulating fluid of the human
nation Of human bl oud and that of SO ,sra sps-
eies of domestic animals fails to detect any DIFF
intern 'Enmunicahle g between man and bsast
Is we'll established Es sper ments with antissp-
tics or disinf nfeetnnts upon blood of yellow fever
patients, aided by the microscope, particularly
II disehse germs are found to bs present, will
doubtless do more than hns yet been done to
dlscoyer r;1 an g fffhctLve pl1n @ Of trsa'nant r
other elements. various ehlordes. suIphates,
cnrbopatea and phossphatss. ssveral Of 'hese
antiseptic and capable OF destroying dsenss
ger" outside Of th9 human body and in ew
Of this fact it does not seNm altogether Utopian
to suppose that they would act similarly II in
lected in proper proportions Fundamentally
especially as many other comedies nrs ndmin mis-
tered in this way for other Diseases. In yellow
fever the stomach is particularly ntolsrant OF
medicine, and vomiting Is tho dangerous syInp-
tom. It is we'll known that such powerful hnti-
septiCs and disinfectHnts as erersots md rhr~
bolic acid are administered By the stomach in
vomiting Incidental to many other disshsss
with promptly beneficial effects. Whether they
act 30 successfully because they arc antiseptie
or dsinfsctant, and as such being received into
the system destroy cert ain disense gsrms, is not
fully known: but IT. is known that in certain
diseases OF tho stomach itself. whoren the
growth Of torula or sarCina germs arc accom-
panied by severe vomiting. sulphnrOus acid
another powerful nntiseptlc. acts ike specific
In arresting vomiting. by destroying the mt-
croscopic fungi.
It remains to be determined whether wa
would b. justified In q desperate case OF yellow
fever. whore dealh seemed Inevitable, 10 nuke
the experiment Of sjecting directly into vein
some mild soution Of an nntseptc or disiu-
fech1nt, for the purpose of destroying tho dis
case germs In the blood.
1t is possible science may yet sOva this prob
lem favprably: nt leHst. the danger To tho nl-
ready doomed patient could scarcely bs in
creased, and it IL conceded that no plan Of trent
ment yet tried has boon Of any avail iu arrest
ing fatal issue after the sy tom has become
thoroughly infected.
WALTER s. WELLS, M. D.