Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1883-03-31
WONDERFUL REVELATIONS OF THE
MICROSCOPE.

MiCROSCOPE.
Discovery Of the Most Deadly Enemy Of
Mountaineering Bacillus and Its Itnvnges.
The scientific world has been greatly
startled and agitate1 of late by the discovery
with the microscope of the most dreadful
little death-dealing parasites. The air we
breathe and live in is charged with these
deadly little growths in proportion as it
is infected from various noxious sources,
Having by recent experiments and reseatch
been shown to be the most fruitful cause
pr disease known, and tho welfare and
Health Of every individual depending so
largely on the freedom from theft destruc-
tvs ravages, it is but natural that th6 re-
ports of recent investigators in this field of
scientific inquiry should be widely read aud
that every phase of these astounding discov-
cries should be subject to universal discuss
ion. At first received with some suspicion
they have at length been thoroughly proven,
and are now receiving the unqualified in
dorsement of the leading scientific mon
throughout the world. But little else is
talked of in the schools and clubs of sciefice,
and the medical and scientific journals are
Crowded with the testimony that. is being
added corroborative of the value ct the mar
velous discovery which is pronounced the
greatest advance in medical science of mod
ern times.
To l.. PAsTEUB, the eminent French
scientist, who by his learned Investigations
has savel to France SO many millions of dol
lars, is probably due the honor of first point
ing out the terrible power of these germs.
In recognition Of his gre o. service the govern
fnent has recently voted him from the public
treasury $4,000, with which to, continue his
experiments. He has described several va
fieti65 of these parasites, some comparatively
harmless, others extremely dangerous Ons
form he proved by a series of vaccinations
n
cause of death Of many thousands of ami
mails and herds of cattle; another the active
agent in the death of fowls by cholera. Act
ing NJ on the knowledge he had lined of
the nature of those germs, he 20 nted out
means of relief that speedily prevented d
spnead of the diseases and ended their devdS-
tati6n.
TYNDALL, with the aid Of 6ther etiineftt
English inv stigators, made number of ex-
aminations of the floating particles IN the
atmosphere, and found numbers of living
spores capable of producing disease. In dry
and healthy localities hut few germs wefe
found, and these of the harmless varieties,
while in low damp places, crowded houses
and unhealthy cities, the poisonous germs
were extremity numerous everywhere.
DR. RUDOLPH Koch, of Wallstein, Ger
many, man whose work In connection with
the organisms of contagious diseases has
made him recognized authority upon the
subject, by experimenting after the Methods
of VILLEMrN, has discovered and published
an account of one of the most dangerous
varieties, to which it is proven more deaths
are due than TO any disease incident to the
human race.
He describes 1t as simple cellular organ.
ism belonging to the same order as the bac-
terra. When dried the gefms may, without
losing any vitality, endure great extremes of
temperature. Being as fine and as light as
dust invisible to the, naked eye, they may be
blown any. distance by tbs wind or carried
upon the clothing or body. Like seeds, they
may lie for months or years undisturbed
upon the furniture, floor, carpets, curtains,
walls, or in the bedding, and only requiring
a proper degree of warmth, moisture and
food to waken into life, develop and grow.
They thrive and live in the blood, lymph,
mucous and secretions of the human
or weak they attack the cells that make up
the animal frame. Any albuminous fluid
will furnis h them with food for growth, and
a single drop is sufficient to contain hum
dreds. Examined with microscopes of great
power, which enlarge them so that they can
ance of minute rod-lil1e bodies having, when
active, some power of motion. They bend in
the middle like bow and straighten with q
jerk that sends them few times the IL own
leng h. At the. temperature of the human
body they Are the most active.
Their power of increase or reproduction Is
remarkably great One germ in few weeks
time, under favorable conditions, will give
rise to millions. The process is by simple
growth and division. Gold destroys or pre-
vents their growth, and this is why refrigera-
ton prevents decay of meats and other ami
NAL foods. Exposed to warmth these small
organisms attack and eat UP the aibuminous
tissues, leaving foul mass. The odors SO
common to this process are given off by these
minute organisms, and is about the only indi-
cation of their presence. This is the warning
of n tire and it is an instinct to avoid all such
smells. The foul breath, bad odors of old sores,
ETC., leads man to avoid these germs in a
ence in the body can be imagined when their
rapid increase is considered. few germs
may be readily absorbed into the system by
breathing air containing them. They are
thus drawn into the interior of the body
through the long and narrow respiratory
passages of the throat chest and nose, (which
are lined with soft membrane and covered
with sticky mucus. In this fluid they ind
ready Judgment and favorable condi-
tons. for Development increase and
growth. The "cold'' or catarrh,
ozena or chronic catarrh, hay fever,
ETC., are common manifestations of the eff
fects of one of the least harmful of these
germs or 'nicrosU'neS. In the discharges
from the respiratory passages at such times
thousands of the living aniInalcule are founC.
The fever, debility, pains sin the bones,
loss of appetite, ETC., are indications of theii
depressing effects upon the vital organs.
1t is from germs of slower development
however, that the greatest danger follows.
10 the one most fully described by Koch is
due more deaths than to any other known
cause. According to the researches of CUT
TER, FLINT and DEJERINE, over eight million
people die every year from this cause alone.
The annual deaths in France, England,
Germany and Russia from their destruction
was over one and half millions. In the
United States and Canada over three hun
dred thousand persons persisted in the last
year from the bacillus alone. The most
common disease resulting from it is con-
sumption OF the lungs, but other organs of
velop slowly but surely in any organ that
may be in weak or unhealthy state.
II active and healthy, the liver, kidneys
and bowels have to a wonderful extent the
power of expelling these deadly animalculae
or parasites from The system. And this fact
furnishes an important indication for the
successful treatment of all the long list Of
maladies caused by these PARASITES as will be
hereinafter shown.
The studies of LANCIsCA, an eminent Italian,
and WOOD, FORMAL and others, are interest
ing, as showing the large variety of chronic
diseases as heretofore classified, that result
from these germs. Among the most common
were silver complaint" biliousness or torpid
liver, dyspepsia or indigestion, lung atfec-
tons, bronchius, kidney diseases, chronic
diarrhea, spinal complaint, fever-sores
white sweliings, hip-joint disease, rheuma-
tlsm, malarlal diseases, such as fever analogue
Or intermittent fever, general and nervous
debilities, female weaknesses, chronic catarrh
of the head or ozena many forms of un-
healthy discharges from internal organs, and
all the various scrofulous affections of the
skin, glands, bones, joints, etc.. including
consumption, Which is but scrofulous dis
ease of the lungs.
In this large catalopue of annarantlu wide