St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-04-24
THE INFLUENZA BACILLUS.
Three Doctors Have Identified 1t
and Have Its Pedigree at Their
Fingers End.

Authentic documents are now IN hand
which enables us to form an estimate or
the accuracy and truStWorthlneSS OF
the alleged discovery of bacillus as
the exciting cause of the influenza, says
the Daily Graphic. 1t has already been
surmised that the influenza poison re
sides in minute bacillus, and there is
now little doubt that this bacillus has
at last been discovered, identified. sep
arated and cultivated by three different
observers, all of whom have been work
ing Independently OF one another.
These bacteriologists are Dr. Pteitter.
who hiss carried on his investigations at
the institute for infectious diseases at
Berlin; DR.. KitasatO and DR.. II. Canon.
OF the Municipal Moablt hospital at
Berlin.
Their results are Identical, and al
though all new discoveries are received
by the scientific and medical world with
considerable reserve till they have been
abundantIy and independently con-
firmed, it is earnestly hoped that the
discovery of the cause may lead to that
of the cure of the disease.
Dr. Pfeller has found the bacilli in
| the saliva at the bronchial discharges
characteristic of influenza. They exist
| in the form of tiny rodlets, strung to-
gether. sometimes in chains; they con-
gregate in minute drops as clear as
pure water. They can be obtained in
pure cultures THAT is. separated from
all other forms of baclli-in pure agar
and sugar, or glycerlne agar.
In the saliva or influenza patients the
bacilli are found in immense quantities.
They may penetrate from the pus cells
into the tissue of the lung, and even
Ia .fau IF lKaV Inn
| This fact will explain the rapidity and
| fatality of lung complications in influ-
| enZa. DR.. Kitasato, the learned Japan
ese assistant of Prof Koch, has OBJ
tanned identical results with those OF
Or. Pfeiffer. and has cultivated the in
fiuenZa bacillus in glycerine agar with
marked success. DR.. Canon comes for
ward however, at the same time, with
a still more striking discovery, for he
has found the presence OF the influenza
bacillus in the blood of patients suffer
ing from the disease, and, according to
the opinion of Prof. Koch. the bacillus
discovered by DR.. Pfeiffer in the saliva
is the same as that discovered by DIR.
Canon in the blood of influenza patients.
To the public these laboratory re-
searches and discoveries are not merely
matters of passing scientific interest.
They are of deep ana practical inpor-
lance. The power to cure disease may
not be vouchSafed to the physician even
after the most earnest and ardu0uS
study; but to prevent disease is the
crown of the medical art. The
knowledge that bacillus residing
in the saliva causes influenza will
not cure the epidemic; but the
prompt and practical application of this
knowledge by complete dislnfeetion of
all bronchial and nasal secretions and
the Isolation of influenza patients will
stay the plague. 1t also indicates the
reasonableness of what is known as the
carbolie acid treatment of Influenza,
which has been prectieed with con-
siderable success, especially i'll the early
stages,