Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-14
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE.

DR.. KOch's Interview with HGauIois''
Correspondent Truth About the
Cholera"
The Gaalots today, says Paris cable
gram of July II to the New York Herald.
publishes the following interview with
Dr. Koch:
ToULON, July 8, $3.50 p. M.-Appended
is an exact report of an interview | had
lastnight with DR.. Koch and his assistant,
DR.. Libertz, of Frankfort:
Are you OFF to Marseilles, Doctor?"
~ es; there is no more for me to do
here. l have quite made up my mind
All the post-mortems l have made con-
firm the results of my first investigation,
which put the Asiatic character of the
scourge beyond question. l have found
some phenomena, as in the cases which
investigated in India.'
"Were the microbes identicaIY
'Precisely. l found numbers in the
body of that soldier, Besnard, whose
post-mortem / made on Sunday evening
Indeed / found more than l had seen in
Egypt. Messrs. Strauss and Roux. who
were standing by, also recognized the
presence of the Indian microbe in Egypt,
but had always seen it mixed with others:
whereas in pOst-mortems that have made
here the Indian microbes outnumbered
the others immensely.
MICROBES IN EPIDEMIC TIMES.
"Where do you find the microbes in
times Of epidemics?"
''The microbe is rarely met with in the
stomach. The disorders of the digestive
organs and the gastric disorders are not
favorable to it, so it takes refuge in the
small 1ntestines, where it can easily
multiply
'tWhat mischief does the microbe do in
10
"First, its presence causes diarrhea
and vomiting, leading to thickening and
chilling of the blood, then it secretes an
Intoxicating poison, which causes the
dry, instantaneous cholera in the origi-
nal cholera-f f0udrOgdnt Sec-that is,
cholera without diarrh9a.v
"With such precise information as this
Doctor, surely one should soon besable to
destroy the microbeY'
''No doubt; but / have nothing to do
with cures; | am mere observer; let
others profit by my observations and sug-
gestions. i have already told you that
| contamination is not caused by air, but
by absorption of microbes injecting food,
especially water and solid food introduced
into the digestive tubes"
BOILED WATER IS SAFE.
81 presume that explains why, this af-
ternoon, you advised the members of the
Sanitary Committee to shut up the wells
and counsel the people to drink boiled
water, or water from non-infected places.
or light mineral watersY
"Yes. 1t also explains the necessity of
taking only well cooked food, peeled
fruits, vegetables and preserves. Remem-
Der, microbes die if exposed to a high and
especially to dry temperature"
will you kindly explain your theory,
to enable me to repeat it:'
Ill T 4
are transmissible only by excrement or
objects soiled by excrement. Consequently
the first preeaution to take is to subject
the linen OF cholera patients to heat, hot
air and picnic acid more or less concen-
trated. Microbes cannot live in concen-
trated solutions of picnic acid or in a
dry atmosphere. Remember, they de-
velOp and multiply in the damp. They
have been found in ponds in cholera
countries"
THE EFFECT OF DRYNEss.
"Would great storm of wind, the mis-
trail, for instance, destroy microbes in
apartments, linen, etc.,
yes, certainly; no soiled object is the
least dangerous when once it is dry, for the
microbe has become powerless TO repro
duce itself; indeed, it is dead.''
lone more question: said your CORES
pondent; sit is this: Did the theory Of
the destruction OF the microbe by dryness
lead you to advise the closing up and dry
ing of contaminated apartments for sew
eral daysg1
sYes, and to pronounce the disinfecting
of luggage, letters and travellers ineffec-
tual. cannot understand how any faith
was ever put IN it.''
''How about watering streets and the
bouleYardsgv
s'The practice is dangerous. 1t favors
the conditions needed for the reproduction
and propagation of microbes
''Then it would be preferable to leave
the streets dry and dusty?1
Certainly
ORIGIN OF THE CHOLERA.
What is your opinion regarding the
origin OF the present epidemic!7
Il think 1 may say that, considering
the precautions taken by the naval au-
rhorities, cholera was imported on some
merchant ship, probably English. They
| do not scruple on English vessels to hide
/ deaths which occur on voyages or TO fall
sity logs"
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