The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1888-05-04
THE GERM THEORY.

THE GERM THEORY.
The Source OF Disease In Man and
Animals.
At the outset 1 would touch on the
curious question whether u process
akin to natural selection in the germ
world may not modify the character
OF these germs in ways resembling
those which have been adopted for
their artificial modification. The
various forms OF life represented by
these minute organisms have their
stages of development Ike the higher
forms Of life, only lasting u much
shorter time, SO that with u very
small portion OF life even OF an indi.
vidual man hundreds OF generations
OF germ life may pass. Again the lives
OF these germs doubtless depend upon
their irenvironme,t, andthe various spe-
cies undergo during thccoursc OF many
|
which effect lin many generations OF
their much longer lives) the higher or.
d'rs of the animal and vegetable.
Hence, during the lifetime OF an indi-
vldual. and far more during several
\ generations ,as ". ,,.a.ssnnt tlmsA-..e
character OF the hediscasegerms TO which
smallpox, typhus fcver. scarlet fever,
measles and other suchzymoticdiseas
es are due may undergo marked altcra.
tlOn. We could thus understand the
more or less deadly character of such
diseases III particular years, and also
in particular regions. We can also
understand that some OF the discnse,
OF ancient times which seem to have
disappeared may in reality be repre-
sentcd by diseases of the present day
which resemble them in certain re
spects, bu are, nevertheless, distinct
diseases,and in particular differ marE-
etlly in destr,,ctiveness.
RELICS OF mn: EI.NrE DEATH.
For example, the plague, as known
Ill Europe only two centuries ago, has
certainly no modern representative
IN the countries where in was one, so
greatly feared, ii it exists anywhere.
WHAT is today called the plague in
Oriental countries is II different dis.
ease, vet there are reasons for bclev-
ing that our typh',s irvcra arcally AKIN
to the "black death" ot old times.
The story is we'll authenticated
which tells how in the place where
"r'hn victims oil the great plaque of
lG65 wcro buried, death ana disease
'lrked i'll wait. and ne;tlly two cen;u-
rl"s found victims among workncn
employed to dig in the place where II
pit had been prepared for tn. cor,se>
too numerous to he buried in s",,n-
rate graves. Blu, the fitness that fell
upon four OF these workmrn aud ON
seventy others who contracted from
them was not the plague but simpl.
typhus fever. Assuming as we may
iailly do, that the germs oi the pla4,lr
disease caused he fever which attack
ell i!ir-e NlnctGenthic icntury workman.
we have evidence that the typh,lS
fever oi our time is I he direct descend
ant ot he plague of former ages.
| The evidence is not quite SO clear in
the Gus" OF varciniL anl smallpox:
sine" it has not been demonstrated
hat protection against ~ particular
disease ran only b. given hy passing.
through Il disease actually akin To it.
1t might h" argued that Us The nar,,,-
u'"r effects nf Iuinlnr which ..ivcs
protection against maia,i;t argue no
kinshp lnrt wc"n malaria and he
action "i lnlnine, 80 the protective
influence of Vaccine inncuatlon does
not necessarily prove that tlie germs
which produce v;,cclnl;I (the disease,
if so it can be called, following vaceln-
aticn) are the same in species us those
which produce smallpox.
Still in the light OF recent evidence
respecting zyinOtm diseases and germ
diseases generally, il may be regarded
as practically certain that the disease
germs OF vaccin;l are the direct de-
scendants OF smallpox germs. which,
during their residence in the hci,el,
have undergone u certain modiiica.
tion rendering them inoccio,is, while
nevertheless introduced into he blood
OF the human body. they pro,lucr
that particular chang. which results
in what we call "prOtectiun" against
smallpox. This being so, it may be
regarded rs probable that in the ras,r
of any other disease known to be pro
d,lccd by germs, methods OF cultlvH.
tiou may be discovered by which hn
disease germs may lie eo cultivated as
to los. their total power. while ycrrr-
atins IL disease sufficiently akin to he
more dangerous illness TO render the
patient safe thereafter or for IL whir
against its influence. So, that, us |
| IL V,,l
as yet such expectations were re:;trd-
ed Us ianciful, typhus. scarlet i'ver.
ldiphlherla, and Il host OF her all
ments, which are known to he due to
th" presence OF llvln. organisms IN he
blood or TISSUES, may he treated as VIC
Tow treat smallpox.
rAsTEtE's EESi:,EcIES.
1t is noteworthy that men WHO
seem careless about applyIn. he pro
tective influence of vaccination to
their own inmiics show II marked
zeal in seizing at any protect ion Tor
their cattle which kindred met ethois
may provide. Thus, though Pas,eu, $
researches into the terribly desir,lc.
tive disease known as splenic fever
isomn times called anthrax o. char
pam we're aI IlfSt fiultllltu ana his
conclusion opposed, tn" prophet or- oi
tlorkS ana herds agreed with ldmlrabl.
nnanlmlty in accrptn. his means oi
protection as soon us the validity nj
his system had been demonstrated.
The history OF anthrax is Instructive.
lii. di,enserrs.mblcS theilack plague
III its action and in inc rHpi,ny wt h
which it's effects arc Developed In
bad cases death occurs in twenty four
hours. Where he diseased is very prey
alcnt proprletors haze been ruined
by the entire destruction at their
tiocks and herds. Retw"cn TN, y,ai :
1867 and $50 no les. than ~, 900
deaths occnrrcd among hors,.!, cattle
and sllrrr, III the district of Nov..pro',
in Russia, while ass human hoin.4
persisted to whom the 'iie.Hs" had
been m various ways communicated.
Fastrur'S inquiries into the develop.
ment Of anthrax wur" characterized
by the osalneromflne'l patl ner, ,ln.,enu
l'y and kcennrsS whui il. i;t. s'inwir
III his researches INTO l,rbrlne. th. ,iti,
worm disease, So soon A.; hr lrll