Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-15

which bear direct relation to the cause oil
disease. If you are skilled, your first efforts
Will lead you to suspect among the in
initely minute organisms under your eve
certain forms which correspond in shape,
movement and other physical character
istics to the class of disease germs you are in
search OF. You will then proceed after hav-
ing studied them under so many diameters
!, 1000 perhaps-to increase the powers OF
your vision and thus view these deadly
little bodies from different points of view.
Now the real work of investigation only
begins. 1t is not sufficient, from a scientific
point of view, that the disease germs under
your eye conform in all their details to the
class you think they may belong. You
must resort to an entirely different method
to establish that fact.
CoLoRING OF MINUTE ORGANISMS.
"One of the finest discoveries known to
pathologists in recent years is that certain
organized tissues will take certain stains,
and fortunately for humanity as we'll as for
scientific work, this is true Of all these
minute forms which we have discussed.
But just here another difficulty arises
Forms of bacteria, of entirely different
species, will take the same stain. Hence,
our disease germs may turn out to be harm
@SSo
will be necessary at times to devise means
which alone not only taxes the patience,
but burns the midnight OIL At this point
the skill and judgment of the observer will
alone help him to solve the problem.
I'm the investigation done by the request
and under the instructions of The PITTS
BURG DISPATCH 80 failures occurred, after
the most painstaking care and prolonged
labor in reaching some of the details sought
after. Different species had to be isolated
by proper and painful processes before their
exact position in the field of view could be
assigned. Two weeks were spent, alone in
volving all my spare hours, extending late
into the night and often into the early morn
ing, before the work set before me was salts
factorily arranged.
Colonies of bacteria were separated from
the hosts around them and studied day after
day without satisfactory results The
staining material used by pathologists as
is frequently the case, had to be rejected
ften or so modified as to make in the sense
new stain. The germs OF one class, which
know as disease germs, gave me greatest
trouble. have repeatedly found them with
much less trouble in the human tissue.
Those germs were the germs of tnbercle or
consumption.
THREE WEEKS OF LABOR.
"These germs which found to correspond
with the typhoid germs by their dimensions,
their susceptibility to certain stains after
previous preparation and varying periods
of exposure, and which felt satisfied the
requirements of accuracy in recognizing
such, cost me three weeks Of labor. The
immense difficulties in the way lie in the
fact that disease germs exist in fluids, such
as milk and water, when the most careful
analysis has not been able to bring them to
light. To find the tubercle vacillus
(consumption) in fluids is quite different
thing from discovering it in its native
place. the melting tissues of diseased
lung.
You will see by this time what your
question involved when you asked me how
to analyze drop of water. This interview
could be carried on for hours without ex-
hausting the subject, but what have given
you will enable your readers to judge in
some degree of the work of the microscop-
ist. wish to say in conclusion that 1 SUBJ
nit to this interview at the request of The
DISPATCH because it serves a purpose
which 1 have in view, and that is to once
more publicly state that have carried out
nv humble work from q sincere desire to
offend none, but benefit all.