The morning call., 1891-04-05


which, having once effected an entrance
into the human body, caused disease, and
eventually death, but he also succeeded in
segregating and cultivatng different species
of these microbes Pasteur was ably sec
onded by q learned German physician of the
name Of Koch. Encouraged By the success
full experiments of these scientists, many
eminent savants in all parts of the world
entered upon the task OF mastering the new
science of micrObiOOlOgy Thanks to their
efforts, some wonderful discoveries were
made early in the twentieth century. Every
disease was found TO have its specific MI
crobe, anl aided by an invention of dis
tinguished American opticlan, whereby the
magnlfying powers of the microscope were
vastly increased, these scientists We're cas-
lily able to describe and classify these VarI-
Gus microbes and By dilutlOn OF various de-
gTees to render the human body proof against
their malignIty. The science OF medicine
so-called was completely stultifed by these
discoveries and literally millions Of medical
works became absolutely valueless, except
as contributions to the pulp-yat
Among American scientists who in the
latter half of the twentieth century at
tanned worldwide emtnence as 1nIcrobiolo-
gists, Professor Galen Grubb-Filkens was
Iulisputablr the most brilliant, the most
startlngorigi ually and daring. 1t was largely
due to his efforts that the charitable and
correctional institutions which mad Tor more
than a century monOp0IZed these beautiful
Islands Of The East River were transferred
to Upper W estchester County to make room
FOR The establishment OF the PansOphOdeOn,
or Grand University Of Physical Science
the Electr0naon, or Temple Of Electricity,
as You are aware, being located upon Ran
dalls Island, while Wards is given up to
physics and astronomy and BlackWells eX-
clEsiyely to chemistry.
The lectures of Professor GrubD-Filkens
at the PausophOdeon attracted students
from all parts of the world, but his brother
professors shook their heads duubtingly
when the famous scientist aFerred that he
was upon the point OF accomplishing the
great work of his life, namely, the segrega-
lion and cultivation of q mierObe almost as
swift and deadly in its effects upon the hui
man organism as any acid known to the
chemist
Up to this time the most malignant mi
crobes known, those of the Egyptian pest
and black death. were unable to destroy lie
until from six 10 twelve hours had followed
incubation, and even then their vitality was
so low that their viTulence was easily
checked by administering successive atten-
uatiOns, so that in all cases where there
were no serious complications the patients
life was invariably saved.
But. gentlemen" exclaimed Professor
Grubb-Filkens enthusiastically, "those of
you who intend hOnOrlng me with your
presence another semester will carry back
10 Europe with you the autOptical experience
of the possibility OF segregating and culti-
waiting one of the most terrible death-deal-
ing agents yet known to science-a micrObe
of such appalling malignily that with a
thOusandth part OF minim l shall be able
to kill a dog in two hours, and with a single
mnim | could, if simultaneous adminiStTa-
ton were possible, blot out from life in
1913 minutes 1900 of the sturdiest human be-
ings on the face OF the globel And, gen.
tlemen, the most astonishing feature of this
signal triumph of modern SCIENCE" con-
tinued the professor, lis the fact that this
awful agent of destruction is simply the
mcrObe OF rancid butter, which have by
means of long line of complicated cult i
walton transformed, so to speak, from
harmless earthwoTm into genuine cobra
de capelio!"
"Ah, how sad it is to witness the first
signs of decay in glorious intellectP' whis-
peTed Professor DomrenuS, the sixth in the
direct line of eminent American physicists,
as he turned 10 leave the lecture room of his
distinguished chief
:" have long suspected" said witty stu
dent TO his chum as the two left the build
ing, THAT something very deadly lurked in
the butter at our clearinghouse, and /
shall not fail to tell Mrs. Squeeze of Profess
scr Grubb-Filkens' discovery, for she has
often assured me that the poorest payers
are invariably the greatest bntter-eaters.
1t viii astOund none TO be told that Pro-
feSsoT Galen Grubb- Filkens was not happily
married. A man may nave acumen enough
to solidify the most volatile gases, regulate
and control an electrical Gu trent or resolve
the dull clay into its elements and force
it to give up its store of silver white metal,
and yet not know how to choose help
meet nor how to get along with her after
she is chosen.
This was Professor Grubb-Filkens' case.
His wife could not for the life of her under
stand why the professor should not be
content 10 draw his salary as rector OF the
PanSophJdeon and not bother his head
cultivating microbes apparently for no
other purpose than causing the death every
month of several score 0f rabbits, pigeons
and guinea pigs.
You might have just so much more
time" she urged whenever she could get
the professors ear, ito take me to the
theater, or opera. If you must be busy why
don't you practice medicine, as yon used to
do when we were first married. You could,
with the greatest ease, add four or five
thousand to your income, and then we could
keep horses and carriages us DR.. Pellet and
DIR. Rackham do"
But Mrs. Grubb-Filkens had other
grievances too. The professor was so fond
OF his club that when he wasn't engaged in
occurring or in killing these harmless
rodents, he was playing whist with some Of
bis crOnies till the wee sma' hours, only to
add to the fagrancy of his oifense by turn
ing the gas up full blaze when he reached
home, and last, though far from least, Mrs
Grubb-Fill,ens half suspected that the pro-
lessor was q bit too fond OF the handsome
widow Of his old friend DR.. Plantan- Loew,
OF whose estate he was executor and trustee
So that with her detestation OF microbes,
her unsatisfied longing for horses and car
Tiage, her suffering from the blazing gas in
her eyes, and her Jealousy of the handsome
widow, Mrs. Grubb-Filkens found it impos-
slble either 10 be happy herself or to permit
the professor to be happy.
But he was happy however, supremacy,
gloriously happy. the moment he had closed
and locked the door of his laboratory and
found himself in the midst of his slowly ex-
piriDg rodents, his tubes, his cultures, his
bouillons, his microscopes. Here was a safe
refuge, a land-lOcked harbor, unruflled by
any storm of marital infeIicity. The popu-
lar name Of the professors laboratory in the
Grubb-filkens household was ''The In
ferno." No member of the family-not
even Mrs Grubb-FilkeDs hersef-was ever
permitted to cross the threshold of the In
ferno, except in company with the profess