Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-11-17
CHOLERA GERMS.
The Germ Theory and the Experiments
of DIR. Koch.

Writing from Alexandria on the 18th of Sep
| TENDER, after declaring that there can be no
| doubt that the epidemic in Egypt was really one
of cholera, Dr. Koch says
"On examining the bodies Of the victims no
| traces of living organisms have been found in
| the blood, the liver. the lungs. the Spleen the
| kidneys and other organs which are usually
affected with germ diseases. Now and then it
happened that bacteria were discovered in the
| lungs. which, however, stood in no connection
| with the course of the disease. having reached
| the lungs through inhalation of the evacua-
| tons. In the contents of the intestineS. as
well as IN the elections of cholera patients
| great masses OF various kinds of organ
| isms were discovered. none of which, how
ever. could be said to exceed the others
! in numbers, nor were there any other
signs from which it might be concluded that
| they had any relation to the course of the dis
ease. One important result was obtained from
the examination of the intestines. In all cases.
| with the exception of one in which death had
occurred several weeks after the cure from
cholera certain kind of bacteria was dscov-
cred in the walls of the intestines. These rod
| like bacilli resemble those found in horses dis
| eased with CHAMBERS. In cases where the slight
est change was visible in the intestines the ba-
| Gill had penetrated into the glands OF the thin
mucous membrane. greatly irritating it, as was
seen in the enlargement of the opening Of the
! gland. and the accumulation of circular cells
| i'm the interior of the gland. great number
| OF the bicilli had made their way behind the
| eptielium of the gland and had settled between
it and the giandular membrane. Besides this,
| large number of bacilli had settled on the sur
| face OF the will, and in many cases had pene-
| trated their tissues. In bad cases where the
| glandular mucous membrane was invaded by
bloody nfltration, the bacilli were found in
| large numbers, and were not confined to the
| invasion of the utricuar glands, but had pene
trated into the surrounding tissues in the deeper
stratum of the mucous membrane. and some
times even into the muscular skin OF the
intestines. The will of the ntestnes were
also in such cases covered with baclli. The
principal seat OF these changes Is in
| the lower part of the small intestines. If this
discovery had not been made on fresh cOrpses
it would have been entirely useless, the intln-
ence of decay being sufficient to produce SINH
| lar bacterian growth in the intestineS. y
The number of bodies dissected by DR.. Koch is
small. but as the baclli have been found in
all fresh cOrpses of cholera patients and were
net to be found where death was caused by
other diseases, there remains no doubt that they
| stand in some relation to the development Of
cholera. Nevertheless, the fact that the
bacilli have been found in the intestines
in cases of cholera does not prove that they
are the cause OF the disease. Whether the
assumption is correct that the process Of
infection or the invasion of bacteria is primary,
can only be decided by the attempt to extract
the bacteria from the diseased tissues, to rear
them in an unaffected place, and to attempt
OF animals. For this purpose it is necessary to
| have the disposal of such animals as are suscep-
tible to infection by the germs Hitherto such
animals have not been found, and all expert
ments on rabbits gulnea-pgs. dogs. cats. mon
keys, pigs. and others have invariably failed.
| That the germ of the disease is frequently con-
tanned in the eXcreta OF cholera patients has
Deen proved by experience, particularly 10y the
| frequent infection of those who have washed the
| sOied clothes of cholera patients.
| he cd wi nj "
| that 1t least some of the experiments which
| have been tried have led to the identification OF
the real germ OF the disease. If yet no con-
elusive results have been obtained, the cause
may have been that those animals on which the
experiment tried We're altogether unsus
| ceptibe to cholera. or that the correct way of
injecting them has not yet been found. The eX-
pertinent is being continued. though with the
| present scantv material there is little hope that
ANYTHING further will be discovered. 1t is, how
ever, improbable that the above reasons are the
| only causes of the failures in attempts at nfec-
ton. There is still another explanation. 1t is
| we'll known that in a place attacked by cholera
the disease disappears long before every indi
vidual has been infected and that although the
germ of the disease is, after some tire.
ditfused over the whole place, the num-
Der of patients diminiSheS more aid
more, and the epidemic disappears While
there are yet number of persons sus-
ceptlble to Injection. This can only be ex-
planned by the assumption that towards the end
Oh tne epidemic the ciiOlera germs become mae
tive. or at least act no longer in all cases. If,
then, men are no longer susceptible to infection
towards the end Of the epidemic, it is not to be
expected that animals should be more SuScepti-
biz an men, especially as it is not known as
ycr iether they are at all liable to cholera.
Far Z moved as we are vet from the entire solu-
ton - the problem, and little as the results OBJ
tanned will practically aid in subduing the chol-
era, they may be regarded as favorable, if we
consider the unfavorabe circumstances and the
short time in which they had to be gathered.
They answer perfectly to the original idea and
of characteristic micro organisms the first con-
ditiOn which has to be fulfilled in cases OF infec-
tiOus disease has been satisfied"