The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-01


What Harvey did in his time has since been
outdone by another man. He dared go further
than physicians and medical scientists
dreamed of going. Alone he dared advance q
new theory, a new system, and fight the abuse
and oppression which met him from those who
ought TO have been the ones to welcome it
most Eight years ago he began the warfare
with ideas and principles which electrified the
whole world He could not then argue like
his opponents, but he accomplished results
which proved what arguments could never
prove For eight years the results have been
accommodating, until to-day there are 100000
people who believe in him, trust in him and
bless him for his discovery. This man is Will
liam Radam, the inventor and discoverer of
Radams Microbe Killer.
1t is easy enough to laugh ct q new discov-
cry. At first men laughed at the telegraph,
the cable and the telephone. and called them
pretty toys. They don't laugh any more. 1t is
easy enough to laugh at man who says he
can cure all diseases with q single medicine,
but what are you going to do when he proves
his assertion?
There is pretty romance of facts concerning
this wonderful discovery. unequaled in. fic-
ton. Twenty-Five years ago William Radam,
a young man, then 25 years old. landed in
New York. From New York Mr.. Radam went
South, and in Austin. Tex, he purchased q
and trees. In a business way he was success
full The tract of land he originally bought
was added to by other purchases, irrigated and
became a garden. BY this time Mr.. Radam was
wealthy. He was one OF the leading florists and
nurserymeu of the great West, and his name
was known throughout, the East, where
he was recognized for his skill in buying
seeds and plants for his nursery. But a
shadow rested upon Mr.. Radam. He could
see his bank deposits increasing daily, but he
could also feel his health leaving, his muscles
weakening. To the original complaint of ma
laria had been added rheumatism, then ca
tarrh, and finally the dreaded consumption
For seventeen years he had employed physi-
Clans Perhaps they slightly retarded his dis
ooc orha them
rate Mr.. Radam found himself eight years ago
on the threshold of death. With feeble steps
he could still wander among the flowers he
loved but he knew that he could only live a
short time. Yet, in this condition, he was on
the verge of great discovery.
In his long career as florist Mr.. Radam's
great success had been brought about by his
ability in preserving his plants from disease.
When plant or stalk began to look sickly he
looked for some cause and always found it.
His discoveries in this line were worth report
ing in science.
Mr.. Radam early decided that the fungi on
plants were nothing more than microbes, and
the, reason for different plants being differ
emily affected was that they were affected by
different kinds of microbes. There was moth
ing new in this theory, although Mr. Radam
discovered 1T himself and did not read 1t In
the textbooks on botany.
He tried to save his plants by cutting OIL the
fungi, but soon found out that this treatment
had no permanent effect. The fungi grew out
in many other places This led him to the
additional discovery that the little fungi or
microbes were actually in the sap of the plants,
and that unless the sap was purified the condi-
ton would remain the same He tried many
ways of treating the roots of his affected plants.
Occasionally he was successful, as some species
of microbes yielded to his application OF anti
septics to the roots. But his efforts, on the
whole, were failure, and he found that the
safest way was to remove the infected plants,
SO as to save the healthy plants
It took Mr.. Radam only another step to dis
cover that in reality the various kinds of mi
crobes had similar effect upon plants-that
is they attacked the plant and caused ferment-
alton. The rust on the rose leaves he found,
was nothing but fermentation, the result of the
action of microbes. The rotting away of the
wood of plants was fermentation. He applied
the theory to other things with equal success.
AS the years rolled on he continued his in
yestigations. One day there came to him a
happy thought He had already discovered
that all the diseases of plants were caused by
microbes or bacteria. Their action produced
fermentation. Without fermentation there
could be no disease. AS q coral reef is the
tomb of myriads of tiny insects so he found
that in fermentation, which they caused, the
microbes lived, propagated and died. Fer
mentation was their result. IT he could at
once arrest fermentation 1t would signify that
the microbes had all been killed. Upon these
lines Mr.. Radam pursued his investigations.
To arrest fermentation he found antiseptics
were necessary. He tried all the known anti
septics and they failed, for If they killed the
microbes and thus arrested fermentation they