Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-11-24
DIPHTHERIA.
Its Source Located in a Dimihutive
Plant which is said to Exist IN All
Human Beings.

At recent meeting of the Philadel-
phia Academy of Natural Sciences some
light was thrown on the origin of diph-
liberia in lecture by Prof. Horatio c.
Wood, who gave the result of his re-
searches in connection with DR. Henry
F. Formal, involving the important dis
covery that this fatal and insidions dis
ease is propagated by a microscopic
plant, or fungi, existing in all human
beings, especially in the NOUN and
throat, but lacking the power of repro
duction until given increased vitality by
these disordered conditions of the mu-
cons which attend sore throat when
caused by cold. The investigations were
made by the assistance of the national
board of health, and extended, not only
to the phenomena attending the ordida-
ry epidemic diphtheria existing in Phil
adelphia, but to the more violent form
occurring from time to time indifferent
places. DR.. Formad visited an infected
town on Lake Michigan. where one
third of all the children in malshy
district died of the epidemic, and bro't
back with him specimens of diplStheric
virus, seyeral'of the false meiabranes
which are invariably formed sh the
throats of afflicted persons, and portions
of their viscera. In all blood. said the
professor, there are Two kinds of corpus
cles, the red or color-giving and the
white. Bv careful study and expert
ments, both in human beings and the
lower animals, it was found that the in
finitesimal plant fastens upon the white
corpuscles, and multiplies its cells, al
tering their character until, with the in
terrier destroyed, they burst and the
plants, set loose in an irregular mass,
separate and GO off individually to con-
tinue the destructive work on other cor
puscles. Thus increased they poison the
blood, choke the vessels and are found
in myriad numbers in the spleen and
bone marrow, where the blood is manu-
factured. Prof. Woods Investigations
show that the false membrane, supposed
to invariably indicate the presence of
diphtheria, may be caused by ammonia,
Spanish fly or any other irritating infiu-
ence in the throat, so that its presence is
not infallible as indicating the existence
of this disease. But in any case the
false membrane is built up 10y this par
acitical plant, which crows and multi
plies upon its infiamed surroundings,
whatever may be lis cause. 1t is, when
the plants grow strong enough to extend
to the blood, either poisoning it them
selves or carrying the poison with them,
that diphtheria sets in. This little plant
is exactly the same as fonnd upon a
coated tongue. When Plof Wood put
plants such as found upon healthy
tongue they failed to grow On the
contrary, plants from the throat or
blood of a person affected with diphthe-
ria multiplied rapidly. The practical
result of the investigation pointed out
was the possibility that dephtheria, if
existing theories held good, may be pre-
vented by artificial vaccination. In the
case of splenic fever caught from ami
mails, which has been proved to originate
in somewhat similar plant, Pasteur has
found that the plant, when exposed a
sufficient time to the air. by the action of
oxygen loses its poisonous character,
and when introduced into the system
makes the animal sick, but is no longer
fatal The deduction is that this diph-
thereto plant, scientifically known as
"mierocosi," may in time be cultivated
so that when inoculated with it the sys-
TEN will be no longer subject to the dis
ease in its fatal form. Concluding the
lecture Prof. Wood was applauded when
he said that these discoveries could ney-
er have been made but for the art of
vivisectioB. against which there is
foolish prejudice in the minds of many.