, 1892-12-10

place, in the weather or In prlces), that they
are doing well under the circumstances.
Ever since it has been understood that q
large number Of the diseases that afflict man
kind are caused by, or at least very closely
connected with, various minute beings known
by the general name Of microbes, it has been
the hope If the followers Of science that re-
medies would one day be discovered that
should possess the property of killing the ms
crobe in each case without killing the patient
who was 80 unfortunate as to be IN the mi.
crobe's possession. 1t has not been found
very difficult to procure OF make substances
that will destroy the microbes, but unluckity
these have hitherto been mostly of such a
character that when administered in sufficient
quantities to kill the microbes they have taken
the sufferer along as well. They remind US
Of the deacon's remedy for bees in the Church
roof. namely to burn them out, a remedy
which be applied with such success that he
reduced the whole building to ashes. At last
however. if we are to trust the paragraph
quoted from the Times in last Saturdays AUis,
q substance has been discovered that possesses
the long sought property. "Perlodata' we
are told has cured in the cholera wards OF the
Seaman's Hospital at Hamburg, a large pro
portion of recent patients. 1t is claimed for
it that it will cure 90 per cent Of the
caaes when it is employed in the early stages
Of the disease and 10 per cent. IN later stages.
If this were all We might suspect that some
Of the results attributed to the remedy were
due to other causes; for instance, that the dis
sease itself had become milder at the tine the
experimental use If peri0date was introduced.
But we are also told that 1.-The remedy has
been tested at the meteorological laboratories at
Berlin and is declared to be efflcacious IN all
maIadivs Of microbic origin, inasmuch as it
DESTROYS the germs without injury to the
human subject
The news seems too good to be true but if
it is true, we shall soon hear a good deal more
about "prrIodate.' There is nothing unrea-
sonable in supposing that II is possible to des-
troy the microbes and yet not lnjure the man,
Some Of the microbes themselves are poisonous
i'm the body OF one species Of animal and per
fcctly harmless in the body Of another. The
poisolAof sn Des, scorpions sc is SAID to be
perfectly harmless to tue bodies Of the re-
~sprctive animals them~el>e s While it is Sc
we're or even deadly when injected INTO the
bodies of other creatures. The story, for in
stance, of the scorpion, that when confined IN
a narrow space it will sting itself to death, is
declared by naturalists to be q fable, because
it is simply impossible as a fact. While low
ever, there is nothing unreasonable in looking
forward to the discovery Of the long wanted
substance, we must not lie in too great a hurry
to assume that the discovery has realIy been
made. Further tests will be necessary and
time must be given Tor these. Possibly a
great blessing to humanity has been found,
possibly mistakes have been made and hopes
raise, which are doomed TO disappointment
Only one thing is sure. and that Is that sci
once now knows the principal road to he ira
versed in searching for medical knowledge,
what new prospects that road wHl bring us. to