New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-03
MP GENTRyS WONDERFUL DISCOVERY

III.
A correspondent who. to avoid being COMPOUNDED
with other correspondents, signs himself "Old
Subscriber" writes that it seems to him we
sometimes treat weighty scientific problems with
less seriousness than they deserve. We deny the
charge. No one could approach things scientific
with greater awe than we. In season and out Of
season we have fought to tear the hand Of pol
itics from the throat Of science in the two States
in which it has secured deadly grip. If there
is fippancy in the treatment Of science anywhere,
il is among scientists themselves. For instance
there came yesterday from California the report
Of the discovery of another comet at the Lick
Observatory. which Professor Barnard describes as
having "a tail fifteen minutes long" The Pro-
fessor simply jests-he knows as well as our CORE
spondent that this is no way to measure the tail
of a comet 1t is proper, of course, fo- suburban
real estate agent to say of a house that is from
three to four miles from the railroad that 1t Us
fifteen minutes walk from the station, but the
nomenclature of the house renting agency must not
be transferred to the heavens. Happily there IS
a scientific subject which is fairly crying to be
treated, and II we handle it not reverently, then
may "Old Subscriber" enter protest in clarion
tones and sign it Pro Bono Publico.
What we refer to is Dr. Gentrys great dscov-
cry Of the grippe mcrobe, announced two or
three days ago. DR.. Gentry lives in Chicago,
alike the hot-bed of letters and the fonntain-head
Of science. For over year, the dispatch says
the Doctor has been on the hunt for the MI
croben At last he has found It, and has the
little wigglero 1--WE again quote from the dispatchl
imprisoned in glass slides. 1t must not be sup
posed that the Doctor has simply brought TO llght
the microbe in the body of grippe patient
this, we are told. is an easy matter, and was done
by DR.. O. NJ Myers, of Rochester, over year
ago; in fact, all that is needed to do this Is a
microscope and newspaper reporter. Dr. Gentry
is no pothunter, creeping up on mlcfoDes ana
grabbing them when they have no chance to es
cape. No, far from it; the Doctor takes them
on the wing or he does not take them at all.
Four days ago Dr. Gentry decided that, as the
influenza was epidemic its microbes must be In
the air. Taking down his split bamboo fishing
rod, he carefully attached glass site to the end
of the line. Then packing q lunci-basket, the
Doctor, accompanied by the Rev. Or. Biggs, OF
the Rogers Park Methodist Church, went up on
the roof of the house Standing the lunch
basket in the shade of the chimney, they sat down
on the edge of the roof and allowed their feet to
dangle over the edge, and DR.. Gentry proceeded
to whip the air of the back yard for microbes
while the Rev. Dr. Biggs held the microscope.
They kept very still that the microbes might
bite better But it seemed to be poor day for
them, and though they hauled in the line fire.
quenty and examined the slide with the micro
scope and visited the lunch-basket often, they
were not rewarded with single microbe for the
first four hours. The Rev. DR.. Riggs suggested
modestly that when he 10y and went
fishing it was considered extremely suspicious
TO expectorate on the bait. Dr. Gentry laughed
at this and pronounced it childish DR.. Biggs
made reply, and DR.. Gentry stood up and
made some long casts in the direction of a neighbOr
ing Chinese laundry. They were successful, for
at the next examination of the hook or rather
slide, he found that he had caught over q dozen
lively microbes. With glad shout they gathered
up the tackle and microscope, put tie black bottle
back in the lunch-basket, and went down through
the scuttle. Mrs. Gentry snifei the air sus-
pciously when the Doctor announced his dis
covery, but she made no direct charge. The
Rev DIR. Bggs returned to his home and DR.
Gentry began close study of the microbes lie
expects to establish some relation between them
and astronomers so-ealled star Dust"
The country is indebted to Chicago for many |
things, and we fancy in the hture that DR.. |
Gentry's great microbe discovery will not be
counted among the least Having found the |
microbes, the thing for the Docbr to do now is |
to discover some way TO destroy chem. 1t occurs |
TO us that something might be Constructed on the |
principle OF wire rat-trap that wsuld be effective
but this, Of course, We leave wholly with the |