Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-07-15
Pasteur and His Germ Theory.

nearly nall are usually PrOteStantS.
Pasteur and His Germ Theory.
Paris correspondence Boston Journal.
NJ. Pasteur's laboratory, in which he remains
about sixteen hours out of every twenty-fOur,
Is in the Rue 'Ulm. He is at present suffering
from iii-health in fact, as he said to gentleman
who called upon him the other morning, 81 may
say that One-half Of my body IS paralyzed
ruined my health in trying to attain my aim In
giving back life AMI activity to the silk industry,
which is one of the glories of our country and
one of the chief sources of its commercial i'm
portance. For the last six years have spent
great part OF my time in experiments with re-
gard to silks, and have felt my health ebbing
slowly away. Some fifteen years ago. when it
was made public that had the idea of making
observations on the liquids extracted from the
chrysalis. and discerning by these means the
good from the bad grain of silk worms. every
body shrugged his shoulders. What a dream it
is, they said, to put microscopes. scientific and
delicate instruments into the hands of peasants
on form! 1t Is not practicable. But the eX-
periments silenced all these criticisms and OBJ
JectiOns. The microscope has now become
common instrument in the silk industry, and is
handled with especial aptitude by the women
operatives. AS l have already said, in the
preface of my book On silk worms, the role of
the ihhnitely little appears to me infinitely
great, both as causing divers contagious mala-
dies and as contributing to the decomposition
and return intOthe atmosphere of all that which
has existed.
g 1t is by means of this system that found
out the causes of the malades of wines and
beers, the real theory of the formation of vim
egar, and as consequence Of this have made
known the means of preserving with absolute
certainty organic matters and transporting them
without any risk of decomposition. Before my
time the production of these infinitely little
variously called bacteria, microbes, etc, was
little understood The part which they play in
the economy of nature was unknown, and was
carried to the account of spontaneous genera
ton. Nevertheless. this production is the cause
If not Of ALL certainly of a great number of con-
taglOuS diseases. These beings invisible to the
naked eye. constitute virus which is ex-
tremely dangerous. 1t even causes DEATH as
the great malady of Charlton has proved. l
have discovered that it is possible to render
these microscopic beings inOflensive. l have
also found that virus reduced may become an
actual preservatve, veritable vaccine to be
opposed to the development of virus which is in
Its nature mortal. 1t was in this way that 1
came to invent the vaccination with Charlton
OF dOmesticated animals / hope" he added,
as If the labor to accomplish were almost too
great TO contemplate with caimness, {" hope, at
least. to find means of vaccination for pre-
venting the yellow fever, plague hydrophobia,
etc"
The visitor descended into the basement In
company with NJ. Pasteur with certain uncom-
Portable sensations in the calves Of his legs fear
ing possible encounter with some one of the
inOculated dogs. and he found himself in a vast
cellar into which air and light were poured
through great tunnels. Immense cages were
ranged round the sides of this subterranean
apartment. and in each of these cages was a
dog. Over each cage was placard indicating
the day OF the incubation Of the animal Sup
TO this time," said NJ Pasteur, 81 have been
able to discover but little; still I consider it
first STEP Before l began my experiments it
was believed that hydrOphoba could be COM
muncated only by the saliva. and people were fire.
quently astOnished at seeing dogs that had been
bitten 6y mad dogs remain sometimes all their
lives without manifesting any symptoms of the
dreadful maladay. l have discovered the virus
OF hydrOphObia in the brain of the dog in the
spinal marrow and in the whole Of the nervous
system generally. One drop Of this virus pre-
served from contact with the microbes of the
healthy dog invariably gives him hydrOphobia,
anu he dies OF it within fifteen days.
Look" said N. Pasteur, there is an animal
inoculated with the virus about ten days ago.
Just put your foot up to his cage" The visitor
did so, but with fear and trembling. ''YOu see
he licks your foot with every manifestation of
affection In two days he will be dead He is
now in that period Of affectionate manifestation
which generally precedes by two or three days
the period of violence. in which he will bite any
thing that comes near him. Here is another
one. Just give a kick at his cage. See how he
springs at youl He will die tomorrow.
There are cases on record of men who have
not died after being bitten by mad dogs That
was because the saliva had been subjected to the
idfiuence OF the atmosphere, and that kind Of
struggle was going on between the microbes of
the virus and the microbes of the circumam-
bent air. These latter appear sometimes to
neutraliZe or modify the effect of the virus; but
with the virus in the pure state, as extract it
from the brain Of one of my dogs here. death in
fixed period is certain, and up TO this time we
have found no remedy for this ptiless atfliction
Now hope. if my lite is spared, that after
many comparisons and experiments I shall
finally get aremedy; but before getting to the
end Of my researches | must exactly establish
the organic constitution OF the microbes of this
virus. for these invisible beings differ from
each other as a man differs from a horse and a
horse from an elephant. They are also subject
to divers Influences. and that which diminishes
the power OF some augnents the capacity OF
Others. This accounts for the manner in which
l treated the Charlton which was Staying thou
sands OF sheep every day before the invention of
my vaccine matter. which is nothing less than
the virus itself reduced. By exposing the virus
to an atmosphere of forty degrees during GER
tain time the microbes become so feeble that
when they were in the body of an animal they
and thus forever guaranteed the animals against
the epidemic.
1.-THE vaccine matter which have obtained
against Charlton presents an entirely different
Guarantee from that of DR.. Jenner against the
smallpox. This latter vaccine matter is taken
from the heIier-that is to say it is an animal
disease which man is inoculated with. Now,
suppose that the cowpOx should suddenly dis
appear; how would you preserve men from
smallpox! This suppOsitiOn was what caused
my great dispute with DR.. Jules Guerin. who,
in the very midst of a session of the academy,
Challenged me to duel because said to him
tat ne did not know what he was talking