The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1888-12-15

a Method of Preventing the Scourge
by incubation - Immunity from the
Disease Secured by the Use of Sterilized
Virus.
The method of preventing disease by inocu-
lation is, rs probably tho most unscientiflc
reader knows by this time, to introduce into
the system n modified form of the poison that
is the original cause of the malady. Weren-
der tho system impervious to smallpox by
causing to pass into the blood by means Of
incubation milder form of the pus which
is its characteristic and which is obtained
from COWS or calves Tho hydrophobia is
prevented by the same means; also tho char
bon i'll sheep and the measles in hogs. 1t is
not many years since the discovery was made
that tho diseases mentioned with many 9TH
ers, were caused by microbe or microscopic
animal that invaded the mouth, throat, lungs,
liver and other internal parts of tho body,
there being different varieties that caused
different diseases.
THE cHoLERA1c MIcRoBE.
1t is now known that the cholera is caused
by microbc, which was discovered by Koch,
and which he has been cultivating for some
years in mild form, with the idea of using
the Couture" to prevent tho disease. He
tried it on animals, and came to the conclu-
sion that they could not be inoculated with
useful results. 1t now appears from report
just made by Pastcur to tho French Academy
of Medicine that n physician of Odessa-one
of his dsciples-has been more successful.
Koch found the choleraic microbe that he
cultivated too feeble to affect tho system
when introduced into the blood by inocula-
tion. Only i'll single instance did the pupil
~
succeed i'll giving the cholera to n fowl. DIR.
Gamalcia, the Russian physician i'll question,
has discovered the means of giving to tho
choleraic virus the essential virulcnce which
it lacks. His method is to inoculate guinea
pig, and with the virus to inoculate pigeons,
which arc shortly attacked and die with the
cholera. Tho cholera mcrobe afterward APP
pears i'll their blood. BY inoculating pigeons
successively with the virus of one another it
has been found that after the introduction of
II few drops the last died in from eight to
twelve hours, showing all tho symptoms of
cholera. Tho same virus in smaller doses
killed guinea pigs i'll al equally short space
of time.
With this virus, that had been proved alb
solutcly mortal, the experimcntalist was ahle
to establish the existence of n choleraic i'm
munity. 1t was done in this manner: Two
pigeons We're inoculated twice with tho ordin-
nry non-virulcnt choeraic culture, tho first
time i'll the pcctoral muscles, the second timo
in the abdominal cavity. Tho virulent virus
that had already caused death in SO many
cases was introduced into the two pigeons
and had 10 effect whatever. The fact that
human beings can be inoculated with tho
choleraic virus and SO receive immunity from
the cholera was thus considered to be estab-
| lishcd
A STERILIZED VIRUS.
The virus obtained from the treatment of
n series of pigeons has to be curiously treated
to render 1t innocuous 1t is cultivated in
the ordinary manner in bouillon, which is
aftcrward heated to 12O degs centigrado to
kill the germs After this heating has been
continued twenty minutes, there still re-
mains u toxic principle. -Four cubic cent?
meters of it introduced into the guinea pig
caused death in from twenty to twenty-four
hours, with absence of choleraic microbes in
the intcstines. greater quantity has been
found necessary to kill pigeons If, however,
the virus, to the amount Of twelve cubic cent?
meters, is not introduced at once, but during
n period extending over three or four days,
it does not kill them and they have become
refractory to the cholera. 1t has been shown
that one-half Il cubic meter of the most viru-
iclt virus obtained from pigeons can be in-
troduccd without danger into the system by
incubation. The Introduction oftwo cubic
centimeters into guinea pigs, If the operation
extends over two or three seances Is ut
tended with 10 danger and gives immunity
from cholera,
Science, therefore, finds itself in tho pres
cnce of n practical method of vaccination for
the cholera. This incubation is effected with
q virus that has been sterilized-that is, de-
prived Of its living microbes, instead of with
one that is technically called chemical"
DR.. Gamaleia declares that his remedy Is
without danger and without exception, SO far
| as his experiments on animals are concerned,
and he expresses the belief that the time is
not far distant when it will bo applied to hui
man beings to preserve them from the Asiatic
cholera
In II letter to Pasteur. DR.. Gamaleia de-
| clares himself ready to repeat at Paris the
experiments he has made at Odessa, and re-
quests that tho Academy of Sciences will
appoint a timo convenient for that purpose.
Further than this, ho offers to visit the coun-
tries afflicted with tho cholera to prove by
practical experiment the efficacy of his
method. DR.. Gamaleia has devoted several
years to the examination of the microbes
causing various forms Of disease, and was Oh
one occasion sent TO Paris by the municipality
Of Odessa to study Pasteur's system of curing
the hydrophobia. Francisco Chronicle.
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