Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-12-03

-i,-Issie-I rrtuD Of septtcaemla.
- +Ee sTlb-ss,tion on threat diseases. the
- - r- Mackenzie OF London, and OF DR..
laid cf Berlin in diptheria, give large eeogni-
lsr 10 the doctrine OF antiselsls as 70 ee applled
s.sTv as vel a. generally, while the Plan OF Or.
JUST Of dealing WITH yhooslns - - iss
+--1 10 be early met BY insuHlatlon OF quinine
,l.b ssIicvIate OF soda IL also II the dlrect line
~ T1reveu- i've methods and a recognition Of the
plan Of guarding the air passages nom outer
lessor Rossbsch. OF Wurzourg, although
orsin,ing Iaryngesi liberation 70 be OF speci-
~ rstIire vet admitted Il 70 De the opinion OK
LET recent Observers that II IS due 20 lnfec-
-5-,1s r,ofsOn which often comes from without
'Tp-ofsssor Jacob, in the section on Diseases
% Tbiidren. advocated the chemical view Of
III. nature OF the contsglon OF dlphtheria and
I've prominence 20 a line OF study that viii
80 Largely occupy those who are engaged in
irC-,irv tIIiCn the eiiology and prevention Of
Iflsase While animal or vegetable organisms
I-zeesFary TO account for all contagious dis
sspS in thst way.
Tov- forms Of matter may make such chemi.
cal alliance as to bscome topics independent
- the low forms Of life which may appear in
tie midst Il may yet behOove Us to study as
closely the origin OF animal pOisons as We are
row studying the phenomena OF germs. There
5 q chemistry OF disease which is not to be lost
Si-bf ~ in our chase after the minute forms OF
vsrefatfve life, real and operative as they may
- Even this belongs at least within the limits
~ zvmotic chemistrs, and the disease results Of
changes in this microscopic life may be ehemi-
In the section Of Surgery, the opening papers
of Mr. Spencer Wells. on Recent Advances in
the Surgical Treatment of Intra-Peritonesl
TInnors" and Of lawson TAFT on "Ref ent
Advances in Abdominal Surgery" recognize
The Droyress OF hygienic methods. Mr. TAFT at
tributes important advances Ito Increased at
fa1tion 10 hygiene and to the intra -peritOneal
method OF operating While he does not adopt
the stray methods, no one more thoroughly
accepts the preventive AMI anti-septic treat
nent A distin gIished surgical professor. who
followed up the oyairOtomy operations TO the
number Of fifteen. during our stay IN London
told me. that in all surgery he had never been
so impressed as to the details Of
So Tsit was1 cut an abdomen
unit he had poured pitcher after pitcher In
and rfnsed il to the purity OF the purest spring
water" They excel US, he thought, in this
operation, more than in any other, and In IL
oTTv in the completeness Of their purifying
and hygienic methods
Prof Cfaugee in treating Of failures In the
emphasis to enti-septics, absorbent gauze and
dressings and that drainage which is an addi.
tionaI guard against the retention OF septic or
irritating material. The same methods were
emphasized in paper by Prof Humphrey. Of
Cambridge We allude to these as not less
emphatic in their hygienic methods than is
Pref Lister, who. in paper on the same sub
iect illustrated the application OF his antiseptlc
method in a way that need not enlarge upon
here. since il is well known to a ! sanitarisns.
IL NAV not. however, be so extensively known
how far il has been applied throughout Europe.
and indeed wherever surgery is practiced, and
even where not adopted, how the anti septic
treatment in other forms has marked an epoch
in surgery. the success and honor OF which
falls strictly within the domain and within the
historical progress OF preventive medicine
The section on Military Surgery. with equal
signifcance, had important papers ION anti
septic treatment Of wounds ia the field by
Or. Iilburne. OF the Royal Navy On the
dIsinfection OF the battle field, - by Dr. Ennes
Of Lisbon "Oa antiseptic dressings by Dr.
Beck OF the Fourteenth German Army Corps,
thus again Illustrating in their natiOnalties. as
well as their essays, how widespread is the
influence OF the preventive method To this
NAV be added the additional evidence. that in
opthalmic surgery, Prof. Homer, OF Zurich,
DR.. Raymond. OF Turin. Prof. Lsber, OF Gotten
gen and DIR. Emmert. Of Berne, occurred the
second day with papers on anti-septic methods
in eve surgery.
In The Obstetric section. the opening paper
was Antisepsis in Ai1wifery, BY Prof Soiegel-
berg. OF Breslau- Heopens with the remark
that the great reform in surgery brought
about by the antt-septic treatment could not
fail 70 have a deep influence upon the treat
ment OF the complication in ehildbed. as IL was
vel known long ago thst the latter are the
same that arise from wounds. Doctor Meniere
emphasized the diseases Of women as surgical
disorders, and others in various ways gave
recognition TO The fact that the avoidance of
retained secretiOus. and 50 Of septic accidents,
is a chief consideration in this practice.
While in the section OF Mentsl Diseases the
antecedent treatment for mental threatenings
did not come prominently before the section
The outline Of Doctor Cl0ustOn, OF Edinburgh.
as to the Teaching of Psychiatric Medicine, -
fully recognized tie Importance OF some
knowledge Of mental diseases for all practition-
e-s. so that they can be ready to interpret the
carrier SYMPTOMS to study tendencies, and to
an icipate in order TO prevent.
In the section OF Materia Medica and Phar-
~ lnrk-
thing bearing especially on hygiene.
Vet the papers Of Professor Binz. OF Bonn,
and Professor FoSker. OF Groningen, on the
aston and uses Cf anti-pyretlc medicines, in
Guiding the Influence exerted by medicines
administered internally upon SepticR mic and
allied conditions. have in them some most i'm
portsnt theses, such as these: Cdl Eebrile
diseases commonly owe their origin 20 the in
PRODUCTION and rapid development OF sub
stances akin to ferments- Several Of these
have been shown 70 resemble yeast in being
ioE, vegetable organisms. or in being derived
from such organisms They enter the glands
where they undergo multiplication. increase
the metabOlic processes, and generate pro-
ducts Of decomposition, which exert par
alyHug action on the nervous system, and
raise the standard OF temperature throughout
the body. (0) Quinine. or chief anti-pyretic,
acts by directly combating the efficient cause
of the disorder, and by checking the abnormal
rnetabolism going on in the body. The nervous
system takes no part, or only secondary
part in this operation.
IN intermittent feNerS Qulnlue pTSceutS the
parCxysm by attacking the infective cause.
(cl The past history OF therapeutics and re-
cent achievements in the domain OF etiOlOsy
and pharm acOiogy e1title US to assume that
By persistent scientific inquiry and practical
observation we may succeed in discovering a
specific antidOte for every species of infective
or sspticRmic malady.
Pro essOr Fokker assumes that anti-septics
act either by lowering the temperature OF the
bcdv by interfering with tie circulation, or
that they exert a destructive action IN virtue
OF their anti-septic properties on the humble
organisms TO which the pYrexial phenomena
are presumably due. The second Of these nv
pOtheses is tie more likely one Of the two. Il
NAV Of course be Obiec-ed that such remedies
can neveri1e administered in sufficient quantity
to insure their presence IN the blood IN such
proportions as to render il aSeDtic, or at any
rate 20 exercise an anti-septic influence.
Bus it must not be forgotten that
the organisms in question have 10 main
tain "a struggle for life in the interior
Of the BODY, so that any hostile factor. though
unable OF itse'f to check their multiplication.
may succeed in doing so when combined with
others equally hostile to bacterial life.
II is quite possible, more over, that anti-py-
relic medicines may accumulate in particular
organs. which may then exert a disinfectau
influence upon the biOod-a remark that tai
has with one OF Professor Binz'. that in inter
rlftrent fevers the substantive element is the
poison deposited in the coiOrless cOrpuScles OF
many organs, especially the spleen.
Some Of these views are especially interest
Ing 10 me, because l have long by clinical OBJ
servation and tr;sI been led to think that when
one child OF a family is attacked with q
zymcfic disease, or when anv such disease
threatens 70 spread. it is possible to admins
ter aseptcs or medicines untTiendly 70
these participate poisOns which will pre-
vent the series or changes which make
IN the disease This view is not
based upon any doctrine OF specihcity, but on q
belief derived chiefly from diphtheria and scar
let fever that there are various articles such as
ouinine potassium, chloride. ferrum chloride
alcohol, etc, whose presence can be main
tanned in the blood in small quantities, and so
prevent the setting up Of those processes which
constitute the gravity OF such diseases. Ii so
we have a plan OF treatment likely 70 have
great practical application TO the preyeHtio1
and limitation OF epidemicS. and more likely e
be available than most OF the suggested sJs
tens OF incubation
II any one were asked what subjects were
most prominent, both at the general meeting:
and at several sections, the answer would be
the anti4septic treatment as Rpplied In surgical
operations and the relations OF minute organ
isns to diseases. and the special applications
thereof in q system Of incubation. These you
will note ars all more closely and radically
identified with the study OF prevention thar
with that OF cure, and involve the most minute
and searching inquiries into the conditions enc
relations Of animal vegetable and human life
It is ell the more difficult, and all The more
essential because of its infinitesimal character
Oneeu NAB with her team OF little at mics Is
riding rampant over all the biological terTiio o
rIes and binocular microscopes. Minute analY
seS closest observations. classified and abun'
dant facts. and the verihcations' OF treatment.
are all alike yet indiS pensable in quality and
quantity for comparison and verihcatiOn-
A brief notice Of the paper OF Prof. klees. on
the s.Relation IF Minute Organisms to Certain