Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1881-12-03

lately held in London, Professor VUlkmann,
in speaking of the ontseptc treatment Of
wounds, says; "No person should die of an
injury unless it's severity directly threatens
life, and no person injured or operated on
should perish through secondary inhsma-
tory disturbance developed from tho wound
Again he says: "Whcn I adopted tho anti
septic treatment of wounds my last twelve
patients, with compound fracture Of tho leg,
had all died of pymmia or septicnmia. From
that time up to the present day have treated
one after another 1875 compound fractures, and
not single patient has succumbcd TO either
of these accidental wound Diseases" In the
light of such revelations as these, what res.
possibility must rest upon the surgeon who
through stubborness or stupidity would still
adhere to the comparatively fatal teachings
Of the past, causing death and suffering in
many cases where he should bring life and
relief But eventually perhaps, the law may
be made to reach such cases, for no intelligent
community will bo able long to bear with
such inlperlections.
But, this modern treatment, although
originating with Lister, is still in directly de-
pendent upon the researches of Pasteur, the
great French Savant whose investigations into
microscopic life have been crowned with dis
covcries which have made his name famous
throughout the civilized world. Twenty
or more, years of this life have already bccn
devoted TO Investigations in microbism, and
still in the same labor he is ns busy rs over,
and the importance of his discoveries grow
apace, and suggest possibilities in the future
treatment of disease which are dazzling indeed
His discovery of vaccina Gas he chooses to
name it) of other diseases than SMALL pox
gives us reasonable hope of an extension that
may finally embrace the prevcntion by anal
ogous processes, Of many specific disease
which now, we are neither able to prevent, or
to cure.
In an address before tho International
Medical Congress, ho speaks Of his discovery
OF a method by which he is able to prevent
the occurrence of chicken cholera and Of splc
mic fever, the latter of which diseases is east
ly communicable to man; and not less fatal in
it's attacks upon the human subject than to
animals. BY process of cultivation, which
he there describes, he has been able to trans
form the original virus into what is capable
of being introduced into the system without
fatal results; and which, by it's prior intro
duction is capable of preventing the snbse-
quent development Of tho disease to which it
stands in the same relation as vaccine to vari-
ola. An experiment as to the protection af-
fordcd in splenic fever by the vaccinia of that
disease, was made with fifty sheep. Twenty
five Of these were inoculated with the culti-
vatcd virus, aud underwent mild form of
the disease, resulting in recovery in each case.
Tho whole fifty were afterwards inoculated
with the original (uncultivatcd) virus of
these the twenty five previously operated up
on escaped Infections, while those not pro
yiously vaccinated, without All exception, died
of the disease.
Pastcur in his remarks, stated that he had
discovered the vaccine of other diseases than
those mentioned, and that the results lie had
obtained would shortly bo published. He is
certainly justified in his contemplation OF
great possibilities from nh extension of like
discoveries. Aud perhaps tubercle, cancer,
leprosy, and other incurable diseases may one
day, as the result of such researches, lie
abolished from the nosoogy Of disease.