Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-10-18
YELLOW JACK.
And Its Authetic Microbe Progeni-
tor.


tor.
Dr. Paul Gibler. who was deputed by the
French Government to Investigate the whole
question OF yellow fever has just delivered a
lecture before the Academy OF Science In Ha-
vana, embed ling the results at which he has
at preseAt arrived. Before leaving Paris he
felt 30 convlnccd OF the truth of DR.. Frelre's
views that ho got himself inocHated with
some OF the cultures which that distinguish
ed BRAZILIAN physician had brought The first
inser tson-made with a lanselt with great
csre---Rs followed by no result whatever.
A week later SUMO Of the attenuated virus
was injected simultaneously, snd this pro-
duced such Violent effects that DR.. Gibier de-
clares nothing in the world would induce him
TO submit Ia a repetition of IT, Since his ar
rival In Cuba, he has made postmortem ex.
am!natiOns Of number of persons who have
died OF yellow fever, some of the examna-
tlons taking place only two hours after death,
and oue Of them within fifteen minutes from
the moment life became ext net The ex'
animation OF the blood taken from the heart
in these cases, Ms we'll as the inspection Of the
urine, the bile, the peucaraIal fluid the liver,
the spleen, and tue mesenleric glands, con-
vinccd him that none OF these organs contain
any mIcrobc. He, however, discovered in
he black matter always found in the intes-
nes a bacillus presenting many points OF re-
remblancr to- tho so-called comma bacilli OF
cholera, being sometimes curved, aud occur
ring in some cultures In SPIRAL form, pos
sessing also the lroperty OF liquefying gela-
tine. This bacillus. when cultivated IN pep
ton z d broth. blaco ened the SIDES OF the
tubes; aud when few drops Of the culture
ere injected into the Intestine OF guinea
pigs II sometimes proved fatal, the testinal
contents then showing great resemblance
10 those found Ia yellow fcvsr patience. In
dogs the injection OF few drops into the
small Intestine rapidly produced violent
rffects-vomitng, diarahD. and, the night
following, pJrexia Cultures OF this bacillus
had smell resembling that OF the black
vomit A moist heat OF 81 . G. destro ed the
bacillus In few minutes; desiccatton also
proved fatal to Il In less than twcnty-four
hourA THIS last observat on led Dr.. Gibier
to suggest that IL this bacillus was really the
cause Of yellow fever the immunity of inland
districts might thus be explained, the com
paratve dryness OF the air destroying the
virus. IL developed extremely well in sea
water charged with organic matter; living, too,
for a long time side by side with the ordiuary
microbes OF putrcfactIon so long at least as
he medium did not become acid, for even a
verT 81 ght degree OF aclditv destro ed the
organism In few hours Ia Sonirma ion OF
observations made at the laboratory, DIR. Glib.
er mentions that he has several times had
an opportunity OF demonstrating the same
circumstances In the dead house, the contents
~ the intestines, when they have become
scd some hours after death, ceaslng 10 show
the presehce OF the bac Illus Since writing
on this subject prev ously DR.. Giber has had
opportunities OF examining the bodies OF
fore Ign sailors who have died In the civil hos.
pital Of Havana, aud he has been able 20
demonstrate the presence OF the bacillus 10
those who have suffered from yellow fever,
and it's absence In those vAo had died from
other diseases His oplRl0n Is that vel low
fever Is due 10 the Development of the mi
crobe in the Intestine, the affection being
therefore essentially local one. - Neio Yorl
Medical Record.