The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-11-24

~.EheGermsAk Disease Gr0wths
in the Human System.
An interesting lecture was delivered
last evening before the members of the
Academy. OF Natural Sciences by DIR.
Heratio C. Wood, Professor of Materia
Medica in the Uaiversity of Pennsyl-
Fania, on the Fungous Origin of Dis
ease. The researches OF which the
evening" s lecture was the outcome were
made By Dr.. r. g. Formal and by Prof.
Weed, under the auspices of the Ma
lonal Board of Health, and referred
more especially to the plant which pro-
duces diphtheria and is known under
gt1e name of mioroeocci.s -
~ @Fhe lecturer related the work done
by, himself and colleague in the summer
.ssofs 1880 in experimenting upon animals
by, the introduction of diphtheritic
membrane. Most of them, twas found,
had died. from consumption, though a
false membrane had been produced
8 similar to- that seen in diphtheria in the
lschild "A sewers epidemic of diphtheria
having occurred in Ludington, Michi-
~saSdt5 III lOo0s LII. EOILldu flSibeu uHaG
z&teWn tesmake studies of the cases and
y5to collect matter. Up to this time
a@ndthing remarkable had been found; in
the blood Of Philadelphia patients, but
In the. membrane there has since been
E,sdiscoEered "a microscopic, plant known
sssassrnieBococci, and the blood of the
Ludingtcn patients was always full of
tt, choking up the internal organs of
t6aoEsfJrn,, ,,,}, :, sasod o,xJ
the spleen and Kidneys. incubation of
-s,sniiiiinials with the, matter brought from
~aeLHdmgf on ALWAYS formed "a false mem
sssswas,sswith She Blood, found to be full of
sypdicrococci after death, and the syInp-
IONS ip1ife resemb led those of diphthe ria
ainaaR The conclusion was theh reached
Gsthatsdiphtheria has been produced in
animalssa In the membrane the micro
cooeiexist in several forms, sometimes
j, seattersd or, in masses of q few or in
.vep0dS known as unicrococci balls, aud in
evmasses of gelatinous material fullof lit
hsstleb plants. They are generally first
found Ii the white corpusefe, and can he
seen. though very minute, iii lively ,ac-
elton .sdapcing about as if eating it up.
=. The corpuscle was seen to alter, grow
ing WaterY, and the little plants finally
s.efAed StAifb .ahtil the icorpuscle burst,
anaaitsdipteyi came out as an irregu-
lar transluscept mass, which formed the
micrococci ball Seen in the patients
throat. Modern physiology teaching
that the blood is largely formed in the
bone-maEdw and in. the spleen. these
organs were. found largely crowded
sswitR' the httEe pIaaits, md tliesir ctiltNa-
ton outsiflH of the hodytwas tried with
nj all the, precautions known 10 scientists.
81 Phiadelphia matter, was feeble of
" growth,a ceasing to increase on the
e fourth generation, while that of Lud-
E,s.ingtoh, seemed to develop as rapidly at
gathe tenth generation as at the first,
Pee 'Rlants entipely like the mierococci Of
diphtheria in general appearance ex-
ist opstbes surfaee ef furried tongue,
but these showed in experiments in the
hiscpltnres aratus very little power, of
F,ssgrowth.. The next series of experiments
were made to determine whether the
micreepGei efdiphtheria is the cause Of
the disease. 1t was known that an in
sssfnsionM of diphtheritic membrane
filtered lost its yirulence in direct pro-
portion to the thoroughness of the
iiltratioha The Aduefs filtered through
.&~elay aoss allsitss solid particles and was
sa'nes longer poisonous, and this proved
~ that the contagious matter of diphtheria
is.aElB6lid gparticfe. i The result of the
experiments served to show that the
microeoeci were the cause of the dis
20 ease either directly or indirectly. Diph-
"thefitic naicrococci, artificially grown
by the experimenters in its several gen
.aYerations. produced undoubted dipithe-
ria in animals and death The matter.
brought from Ludington, exposed TO
the ain for several weeks, lost its viru-
lence, sanA failed to produce the disease.
Prot Wood and DIR. Formal both
concluded from the experiments that
these micrococci, which exactly re-
sembled the micrococci of diphtheria
@dlost their virulence and power OF
2Rth thus became converted, in Other
w WOnas, 70 tha littleaplants of the furred
. toAgue, and Were of the opinion that
fa9Htssar591Shtical in their specific
nature with a sore throat in a child
= under the stimulus. of the oxidation.
the torpid microeocci, always present
in the mouth begin to grow and to be
yssconyerted into the active stage. Their
= growth further influence the mucous
: membrane syof the throat and this in
ss.creased inflammation feeds it still more.
go z. SO the starved mierococcin said the
: Professor g became converted into the
- bloated bondholder and case of SELL
created diphtheria results. The active
~ little plants find q suitable resting place
in the Throat of the delicate Child; begin
~ TO grow and soon develope the disease.
1.-The scattered mild cases originate in
q the indiyidualgan comprise the ordi-
nary cases seen in Philadelphia. When
= Hcatsrrh comes in the spring, when the
3. air is full of active micrococci, a malig-
nant epidemic results" Prof. Wood
spoke Of the parsimony of the United
States Government. which will spend
thousands Of dollars in political inves-
.ytisatienpnd viii deny one cent to such
important medical inquiries. -Philaael-
piia Press. sasn a
The Paris Electrical Exhibition;
In the lovely vale of Chamounv Iaet