Litchfield enquirer., 1878-11-07

WHOLE NO. 2736
lg' PhihdelphiA Inquirer. f0 
 Germ Theory of Disease.

u6Im xuSO1y U1 O13SnoSs
 Dr. Joseph c. Richardson, professor of hy giene in the University of Pennsylvania, de- ivered lecture last night iu the hall of the College of Physicisns. Thirteenth and Locust streets, on the subject of '"The Germ Theory of Disease, and it's present bearing upon pub lie and personal hygiene. The attendance was large Dr. Isaac Ray introduced Dr. Richard son, who spoke to the following effect: sI
 The devastating epidemic which has been raging in sections of the South has created so much discussion that there are few who have not, in consequence heard more or less of the germ theory.
 The speaker, by way of preface, stated that he had long been a warm advocate of this the ory. which some have treated with defision and contempt. The germ theory of disease propo- ses to account for small pOx, yellow fever. typhoid fever, measles. diphtheria, relapsing fever, &c., by attributing them to the mechani- cal irritation and other disturbances set up by masses of spores and mycelial threads develop ing in the blood and Tn the affected tissues, The period of incubation or matching out (by which is meant the time between exposure to small pox, for example, and the development of the disease) is supposed to correspond with the germinstion of these spores or seeds of the fungi
 a After examining the claims for and against
 
 outset of my plea nfavor of the doctrine, let me say that, in spite of the bold assertions of cer- tain enthusiasts and savans, with whom zeal osltrnns knowledge, no really skillful micro sccplst will at present maintain that minute vegetable organisms, found in connection with contagious rnaladies, are as yet proved to have any definite relation to them as causes of dis ease.
 The doctor quoted from former writings by himself, published some years ago, some notes relating to experiments he had made about that time in establishing the theory that bacteria may obtain entrance to the blood through the respiratory organs or ailmentary canal The researches of an eminent New York doctor subsequently confirmed the results of the speakers researches at that time. Notwith- standing these experiments, however, the germ theory made little progress, especially in Eng fish speaking countries, until after the expert ments of eminent London physicians, which gave fresh impetus to the study of the theory. After reciting the results of investigations con- ducted by other scientists in this country and abroad, the speaker replied to objections ire quently urged against the germ theory, towit., that such organisms as have been referred to are frequently observed in perfectly healthy bodies, and cannot, therefore, be the cause of disease.
 Dr. Richardson then proceeded to reviewtlIe chief evidences in favor of the germ theory, commencing with his own proofs by experi- ments upon himself, that millions of these minute organisms called bacteria, when taken into the stomach by drinking, could thence be absorbed into the blood and be detected in drops of the circulating fluid drawn from the | tips of the fingers Secondly. That pune | lures made in rabbit with needles dipped in dipthuretic false membrane conveyed the dis ease, which could be recognized under the micro scope by the presence of the bacteria or mil | crococi of dphtheria, Thirdly. That in re lapsing fever so-called, these microscopic organ isms called spirilla, and shaped like little cork screws, to the number of millions, are found circulating in the blood; and fOurthly, the fact that Professor Klein, of London, had just demonstrated that attheinCculation of descendants the eighth generation of bacteria, found in kind of typhoid fever of the pig, is followed | by development of the same disease.
 | Of these, the doctor stated row of twenty | thousand of them placed end to end would
 measure less than one inch in length, and a
 mass the diameter of one of the dots or periods | O. upon printed page might contain over l fifty millions. Each one of these fifty millions
 is capable, under favorable circumstances, of l reproducing it's kind with almost incredible l rapidity. The germ theory teaches us, said the speaker, that every new case of the conta- | gious disease enumerated is the immediate oH- | spring of preceding case and the direct result | of the exposure of an unprotected human being to the chance of having the spores or seeds of | disease implanted in it's system, an exposure
 which it only required suticie'1t k1sOartedge, su6Sctent .foresight Gnd sMficient cure tO G0od In all such instances the isolation of the affec- ted person from unprotected persons was recommended, and, under other conditions, means which will destroy the life of the spores, such as dry heat of high degree superheated steam, prolonged bathing in water, caustic acids or alkalis, etc, are to be used with a firm confidence that if they are employed thorough ly enough they will absolutely put stop to all spread of the disease. It is useless to expect any certain and complete results from the mil | der aerial disinfectants usually employed. The lessons deduced by the doctor from these teachings in regard to public hygiene were, he said, as important as they were simple. They were, first, to void at any cost, the entrance into communities of living spores or. seeds of disease. With proper care infection cannot occur. In German town single potato bug caused the authorities to cover whole planta- tions with kerosene soaked straw, to which Ethey set fire and destroyed every germ of vegetable and animal life for acres around and, yet, this apparent waste of time, trouble and potato vines was the most economical expendi- ture that could possibly have been made. How
 much more, then, when our own lives, the | lives of those dear to us, and, in addition, scores of millions of dollars are at stake, as they are in the South at present, should sanita- l " authorities be armed with almost despotic power in order that they may shut out or kill every one of these actually visible, or even in-
 tangible, seeds of disease. Quarantine, disinfec- l tion and prolonged detention of persons, with
 disinfection or frequently total destruction of goods from infected 4 districts. is as. it appears, the right of the many at the expense 1 of the few; and, even if ample compensation for loss of time and property were allowed by law to these who suffered, the community at large would be tenfold better of pecuniarily, to say nothing of the far pore important saving l of human fife and human suffering which