The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-01-31
La Grippe Germ Found.
AN AUSTRIAN Scientist DISCOVERS THE
BACILLI OF INFLUENZA.

AN AUSTRIAN SCIENTIST DISCOVERS THE
| BAcILLI OF INFLUENZA.
The members of the faculty Of
Vienna are greatly aeitated over the
discovery of the bacillus of iuhuenza
by Drs Maximilisn and Adolpbe
Jolles, of the bacterian laboratory at
the General Hospital. The young
scientists had determined to keep
their discovery secret until at
a special meeting of the medical
faculty they proposed to relate their
experiences and studies of the last two
months, which have been so successful
was let into the secret by one of the
many American scientists who are
studying in the laboratory. / present
ed myself at the farm of bacilli breed
ers and had an inteI esting talk on the
subject
"We came upon the traces Of the
baci!li quite sccidently," said DR.. Max
milan Jolles, "sbout the middle of
December in sample of urine sent us
by practitioner who thought that his
patient was suffering from kidney di-
sease. Upon examining the urine
microscopically we discovered baoil-
lus which, owing to the peculiar cas-
sock formation of the head, we called
"the bishop of baoilli." 1t was baoi-
lus we bad never seen befors nor had
il ever beeo signaled by en- bacterio-
logist.
"We Immediately set forth with our
whole staff upon an examir alton of the
detection and urine of influenza pat
tents in the general hospital and in
private practice and in every case the
bishop bacilli were found in great
numbers, while In excrement from
various other maladies examined at
the same time the bacilli could not be
found"
THE BACILLI EXHIBITED.
The doctor then introduced me into
his laboratory, where, inserted in glass
tubes, the bacilli were seen at rest, and
where the cultivation of the bscllli
was in successful progress. GAS you
see," said the doctor, "they resemble
in no way the cholera mlcrobe, but
have many points of resemblance with
the bacilli of pneumonia discovered by
DIR. Friedlander.'
then carefully examined the bacilli
in the glass tubes stopped with cotton
and half full OF gelatin. On top of
the gelatin I noticed what with the
naked eye looked like milky white
spot, round in form. In the mic. o.
scope saw small animalcule, elliptic
in form and sharply defined. The
greet majority were yellow in color,
but in the largest and Oldest the cas-.
sock shaped heads were dark blue.
They we're lying parallel and very
close to each other.
DIFFERENT FROM THE CHOLERA MI
CRoBEs.
Then the doctor showed me q tube
containing Asiatic cholera microbes,
which looked like fine threads and diff
fered in every way from the influenza
bacilli. As seen through the micro
scope, the cholera microbe resemble,
an infnitesimal comma. 81 hope,
said the doctor, "that the Times vii
accentuate the absolute difference il
form and nature between the two ami
malcule, because it is still general,
believed that the influenza is a fo,e
runner of cholera, which belief l thinl
We have scientifically disposed OF
Now, on the otter hard, the infuenz
bacilli and the pneumonia bacilli ar
undoubtedly of the same family an
analogous"
"When l was shown the bacilli @
pneumonia, discovered aud cultivate
by DR.. Friedlander, they were LEI
brilliant and less yellow in color an
not nearly so elliptic in form and ais
much larger. with heads quite as cler
!. cal looking as those of the i iifluenz
:; bacillus. In the case of the inhuen2
J bacillus one does not see the gaseol
bubbles to be seen in the gelatine
: which the pneumonia bacilli is cult
. vated."
E PREPARING FOR INoCULATIoN.
4 Looking around at this point / n
!. ticed various sized jars, resemblin
those in which last spring two of N
Pasteur's talented assistants endeavo
ed to cultivate, attentuate and prepal
for incubation purposes the bacilli
diphtheria. 81 see, DOCTOR" remar
ed, shat you are getting at the pra
tical side of the discovery. Wht
will you begin vaccination, or rath
incubation against Influenza
"Well, l have no idea, but wou
not like to think that that happy pr
cess is postponed to the Greek X
ends. Had you not noticed our pr
parations l would not have spoken
our attempts in that direction at a
as up to the present they have n
been very satisfactory. We had brt
the bacilli and atteutuated satisfacto
lily the virus, but our first case of inc
b ulation killed the patient, rabbit,
whom we tried it recently. He d.
Immediately of blood-poisoniug.
cannot speak about the experimer
upon which we are now engaged {
cept to say that they promise well,
"Another curious discovery" co
cluded the doctor, "was made on d.
cember 28, when the el
. demic was at its height. / then {
smined some of the water viii
comes to the city from the Kais
well, a hundred kilometres away
the Syrian Mountains, aud
% found two hundred and twenty -eig
> bacilli in every cubic centimetre
2 water
+ The discoverer is Viennese
birth, of small size, blonde, with Va
dyke beard. He has only recent