Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-01-21
Salt FAKE democrat.
The Story Of Pasteur ,


The year 1885 will be distinguished in
the march of the ages with especial prom
inence, because 1t gave birth to the won
derful discovery OF Pasteur, which the
unselfishness of true scientist has given
freely to augment the sum of human
knowledge, and lessen the sum of human
misery.
In the fact that Il corporation has Just
been formed in New York to establish an
institute and hospital for the Pasteurian
treatment of hydrophobia, the story of
the great discoverer, as told by himself,
is invested with profounder interest. In
October last he modestly related to the
French Academy how it all came about,
as the result OF long and laborious inves-
tigation. He first treated twenty dogs,
fixing finally on fifteen that had been
made proof against rabies. He then re-
sorted TO more vrulent incubation, keep
ing the dogs under observation beyond
the period of incubation of the disease
three or four months. To accommodate
the application of the method of contin-
gencies growing out OF the accidental or
sudden character of the bites of rabid
animals, he had to adopt more rapid
methods-that is, he resolved to reduce
the system to its briefest possible period
of operation.
By the trepanning underline ditrd mater
of rabbit, with the marrow OF rabid
dog, he produced rabies in a mean of fif-
teen days. BY passing the virus to a
second, a third and fourth rabbit, and so
on, the period of the incubation of the
disease was lessened Twenty-Five di-
munitions brought it down to period of
seven days. He spent no less than three
years in reaching this point. He proved
that by passing the virus on from one
rabbit to another, one can have reliable
virus at ones disposition constantly. In
dry air it slowly loses its power; in moist
carbonic acid, and protected from the air,
it will last some months. He next pro-
ceeded to insure dog by successive daily
creasing strength in which he had soaked
pieces of infected marrow secured in q
flask, the air being kept dry by potash in
the bottom. He continued the applica-
tons until only two days old. Out of
fifty dogs treated last spring there was
not one failure.
In the self-assurance that he had found
a practical method TO success with brutes,
he was led to trust himself in applying
the same TO man. We can readily
imagine the emotions that must have
stirred his soul when he resolved upon
these experiments. Selfishness and
cowardice would have stayed him, but
devotion to the cause of humanity spurred
him on, and thus it was again testified
that there is heroism in the walks OF
science rising to the level of the bravest
achievements in the field.
In July boy was brought for treat
ment. An autopsy demonstrated that
the dog that had bitten him was mad.
The lad was so badly wounded that the
medical faculty decided death from n.y.
drophobia would certainly ensue. The
boy was bitten July 4th; on the 9th, Pas
teur, with Drs. Vulpian and Grancher,
in oculated the patient with virus four
teen days old. Each day once, some days
twice, the boy was treated for ten days
with diminishing virus, until the 10th he
received the most virulent matter-only
one day old. 1t was found by expert
ments on rabbits, that the virus used the
first five days was not virulent. The boy
escaped rabies and his health remains
excellent. October 14th Jean Baptiste
Jupille, shepherd boy, threw himself
before mad dog to protect group OF
six children. He throttled the animal
and beat him TO death with the heel o
his shoe. He was fearfully wounded
October goth he was brought to Pasteur
who treated him. He recovered, as die
four others treated subsequently. The
physicians decided that the virus in Ju
piles wounds had not on the sixth day
left the locality and assembled toward the
brain.
Pasteur's explanation OF the philosophy
of his great discovery is, that the virus
acts slowly; that incubation makes the
body refractory to it, and thus the poison
OF the wound remains localized and after
some months is digested and thrown of
because it is prevented from reaching the
brain. The preventative quality OF the
incubation exists for year and half
and as the minimum OF total incubation
with the virus from the wound is thirty
days, the whole question, explains Pas
teur TO reporter OF the London Times,
consists in inoculating the patient soon
enough to prevent the propagation of the
virus through the wound from spreading
Well might M. Vulpian exclaim be-
fore the Academy with proud enthusiasm
that Pasteur's discovery ''atiiXes the sea
to the glory of our illustrious associate
ane sheds an incompatible luster npor
our dear country. "-Sdcreme nto Record
| Union.