Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1884-07-17

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thunder in her oars hrlnrI her to ri q
,hnvn ali nc,,inr,s
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plv. and botb were hnnnvi
The Cholera Germ.
A Calcutta letter saws: There is GOOD
reason to believe that the visit to Cal
cutta of the German cholera COM
mission (Which consists of Drs. Koch.
Fischer. and Ganky) has been fruitful
of n very important discovery. The in
ycstigations made by the commission
in Egypt last year had already indicat.
ed the existence in all true eases of
cholera of a peculiar microscopic para
site. or bacciil,tS, ms il is termed in mcdi.
cal lnnouapr. In NIL eases which came
under their examination, DR.. Koch and
his colleagues observed these parasites
in Great number. both in thc intcstincs
of persons who had died Of cholera and
in The dciccta of cholera patients. The
same pornsitcs were uniformly found
in all cholera eases examined in India.
Moreover, although looked for with
minutcncss and care, no parasite cor
responding TO them could be found in
connection with other diseases, such rs
dyscntcry and diarrhna, which have
some resemblance TO cholera. The fact.
therefore, of close relation between
the parasite and the disease of cholera
would seem TO be placed beyond a
doubt. The coincidence would not in
itself, however, as is obvious. warrant
MS in REGARDING the parasite as the
cause of the malndy, for as Dr. Koch
is himself willin~ io allow. il may be-
the consequence.
From Il further di.coycry made by
the commission in Calcutta there is M
reason to believe that the relation OF
thc parasitic to thc disease is one of
cousr. in short. that the parasilr is the
lonr-sounht-for cholera Gcrm. While
thc commission was in Calcutta a Spo.
radio outbreak of cholera of rrcat in
tcnsity occurred in the native quarter
of thc town. in the ncirhborhood of a
dirty tank or pond. ON examining the
water in this pond DIR. Koch and his
collcaUucs discovered to their ioy that
il swarmcd with the parasite which
they had hitherto failed to find outside
fine human subject. The water had
been uscd. nccor,Iino TO Indian habit.
hoth for DRINKING and bathiur pur.
poses by the people among whom the
outbreak had occurred. If was further
observed that as the outbreak subSid.
ed coincidcntly thr water became clcal
of thc parasite. Here was a rrcat strr
in furthrrance of the inquiry rs to the
ctiologv of cholera. Another stcp. and
thc artificial propnration of the disease
bv means of the parasitic sucrcssfull,
ocrompIishcd, the commission could
have rrnortod to Prince bismarck thr
rompleiion Of one of the most imporl.
ant discoveries ever made in mcdica'
sricnrr But tbc last link complrtino
thn chain of evidence has vet to b,
forced All thc ottcmpts of DIR. Kocl
and his collcauucs to artiiicially propa.
cate cholera by means of the narasitc
whether found in the water or in III,
human subject. have been without sue.
rrss Many governments have been
made with n view to reproduce the dis
ease by incubation in animals. but all
have failed. Matter containing th,
parasite has been mingled with the
food Of mice. cats. and dogs. but thcir
health has apparcntly not been dis.
lIrbcd The arrumcnt from analogy
meanwhile rors strongly to show thai
in thc parasite which a pair of German
snrri,rlrs has revealed thc cholcr;
rcrm has ot lrnrth welded up the dark
mystery Of existence, TO Dir, Koch il