Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-09-01
WILMINGTON. THURSDAY. SEPT. !.
The Popular Science Monthly print

The Popular Science Monthly prints,
in its September number, an address on
"Infectious Diseases; Causation and |
Immunity" recently delivered at Yale
by DR.. George NJ. Sternberg, surgeon
United States Army. This address pos
sesses timely and local interest. DR..
Sternberg takes anthrax as typical
disease of this class and his introduce
tory references thereto indicate that it
has been studied longer and with greater
results than any other infectious disease.
Ii was in 1868 that, having ascertained
that the blood of an infected animal
contained arod-shaped cro-organism,
and that the smallest quantity of this
blood inoculated into a susceptible
animal gave rise to anthrax, Davaine
"boldly announced his belief that the
bacillus was the,specific geological agent
in this disease. The experiments of
iDavaine were not, however, generally
accepted as conclusive, because, in
'inoculating an animal with blood con.
tanning the bacillus, the living micro.
organism was associated with material
from the body of the diseased animal
This objection was subsequently re-
moved by the experiments of Pasteur,
Koch, and many others, with pure cul-
lures of the bacillus. These were
shown to have the same pathogehic
effects as had been obtained in inocula-
ton experiments with the blood of an
infected animal To-day no one ques-
ton the geological relation of the
bacillus anthracis to the disease anthrax.
And this bacillus has served for innnu-
merable experiments relating to the
solution of variety of questions in
pathology and preventive medicine"
So that the anthrax bacillus, though
new and very unwelcome visitor to
New Castle county, proves to be an old
and familiar acquaintance of scientific
men. Our object here is to index, as it
were, DIR. Sternberg's references to this
bacillus and the disease with which he
is associated
Touching on natural susceptibility to
and immunity from infectious disease,
he says: "Thus, tuberculosis is com
mon to man, to cattle, to apes, and to
the small herbiyorous animals, while
the carnivora are, as rule, immune +;
anthrax may be communicated by in
oculation to man, to cattle, to sheep, to
guinea pigs, rabbits and mice, but the
rat, the dog, carniyorous animals and
birds are generally immune; CHAMBERS,
which is essentially a disease of the
equine genus, may be communicated to
man, to the guinea pig and to field mice,
while house mice, rabbits, cattle and
swine are to great extent immune"
AS a rule, young animals are more sus.
Ceptible TO infectious disease than older
ones; as, with human beings, the young
are especially susceptible to scarlet
fever, whooping cough, and other "chil-
dren's Diseases" and after forty years
of age the susceptibility to tuberculaI
infection is very much diminished
Then as to the influence of race, "a
very remarkable example Of race i'm
munity is that of Algerian sheep agains
anthrax, a disease which is very fatal Il
other sheep"
Upon what does this essential differ
ence in susceptibility to or immunity
natural or acquired, from infectious dis
5ases-depend? The reply is three-fold
Upon conditions favorable or unfayora
bic to the pa;bogenic germ; or upon 1T
destruction by some active agent prCsen
in the tissues or fluids of the body o
the animal: or upon naturalization o
its toxic products by some substanc
present in the body Of the animal whici
survives infection. Behring ascribe
Nthe remarkable immunity Of the whit
rat, against anthrax incubation, to tn
highly alkaline reaction Of the hloo
and tissue juices Of this animal b
feeding, white rats on diet which al
unfinished this alkalinity he claimed t
have caused them to lose their natura
Immunity. Rats SO treated died as
result of incubation with viruleut cul
lures Of the anthrax bacillus.
Among other references to anthra
contained in this lecture, which "
have not space TO follow more closet,
are the following:
In Pasteurs NEGOTIATIONS against al
thrax, attenuated cultures are employt
which contain the living path0genic germ
rs well as the toxic products develops
during its growth. Usually two inncul
tOns are made with cultures of diClrrel
,-degrees of attenuatiOn--that is to say, Wit
cultures in which the toxic products Il
formed in less amount than in virus
full power. The most attcnuated virus
first injected, and after some time Il
second vaccine, which, If injected fir,
might hav5 caused n considerable M
tahty. The animal is thus protected fro
the pathogenic action of the most yirule
cultures.
Various illustrations are &. III
show that natural or acquired immuni
against infectious diseases may be ov2
come when tLo vital resisting power
the animal has been reduced by varla
agencies. Experiments with rabbit
guinea pigs, white rats and fowls, inc
ulated with anthrax under such conc
tons arc referred to. Even dogs ha
been made susceptible to the disease,
fr5t bringing them undel the iniluen
OF Gurare, choral or alcohol,
On tie other harl japanese expa
mentors have recently discovered that I
blood Of an animal immuue against 4
thrIX contains Some substance which ne
tra les tue toxic properties Of the anthr
bacillus. When cultures were made in {
blood of DIGS, frogs, or white rats tn
were found not to kill mice naculat
with them. So small an incubation