The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-28

be multiplied a thousandfold, and of
these none can be assigned priority,
and each may be regarded as the
original cell.
Though each constituent element of
our bodies may be looked upon in a
certain sense as an independent living
being, there are some of these which
are more highly organized than others,
which possess the power Of lOcomotion
and exercise some of the functions of
the higher forms of life. Such are the
white corpuscles of the blood, termed
phagocytes by Metchnikoff, an eminent
Russian naturalist and pathologist. His
researches have recently invested these
with an extraordinary interest. He OBJ
served that after passing through the
walls of the blood vessels, which the
red corpuscles Of the blood never do,
the phagocytes would crawl about like
amoebae and like them receive nutri-
ent material into their bodies, which
they digested. But he discovered more
important fact still-that those minute
beings guard the gateway of life and
wage ceaseless war upon numerous mi
croscopic foes that convey disease and
the seeds Of death into our bodies.
Metchnikoff was first led to form this
conclusion by observations made in the
case of a microscopic crustacean, sub
ject to be infested by a fungus, having
sharp pointed spores. These were apt
to penetrate the creatures body, but no
sooner did this occur than the spores
became surrounded by cells contained
In the crustaceans body which CORE
spond to the white corpuscles of the
blood These attannta6 tO davO11r the
spores, and if they succeeded the crea-
ture was saved from the attack of the
parasites. But if the invading force Of
the spores was too strong to be van
pushed by the devouring cells, or pha-
gocytes, the crustacean fell a victim to
the assault of it's foes
Starting from this observation as
basis, he discovered that the microbes
of infective diseases are subject to
similar conditions. They attack the
organism, and the invading force is
given battle to by an army of phago-
cytes. If the latter are sufficiently nu-
merous and healthy, the microbes are
defeated, but if the reverse is the case
the disease becomes established. Now
a strange thing happens, whichever
side wins the victory. There are no
mutilated dead bodies left upon the
field. of battle. The vanquished find
and soon after the battle is fought
all traces Of it have disappeared.
Sir Joseph Lister, the president of
the British Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science, said in an ad-
dress recently delivered:
''Fhe power of the system to produce
antitoXic substances to counterfeit the
poisOns of microbes is undoubtedly, in
Its own place, of great Importance But
in the large class of cases in which ami
mails are refractory to particular in
fectiVe diseases the blood is not found
to yield any antitoXic element by which
the natural immunity can be account
ed for. Here phagocytosis seems to
be the sole defensive agency. And even
In cases in which the serum does pos
Sess antitoxic, or, as it would seem in
some cases, germicidal properties the
bodies of the dead microbes must at
last be got rid Of by phagocytosis, and
some recent observations would seem
to indicate that the useful elements of
the serum may be, in part at least, de-
rived from the digestive juices of the
phagocytes If ever there was ro-
mantle chapter in pathology. it has
surely been that of the story Of pha-
gocytOsis."
Though 1t is only within recent years
that the germ theory Of the origin Of
many diseases became an established
and generally accepted fact of medi-
cal science, 1t has been long known
that disease might be communicated
in this way. Spallanzani, professor Of
natural history in the University Of
Pavia, in 1868, was, however, the first
to make observations which led to def
mite results in this direction. He dis
covered that the atmosphere and fluids
of all kinds were charged with germs,
or eggs, of lower forms Of plant or
animal life. Under certain conditions,
such as that of extreme dryness, these
germs remained sterile and unproduc-
tive. Once introduced, however, into
a medium adapted to their develop
mert, the germs, like seed placed In q
suitable soil. developed into adult forms
of anir1alcules.
Similarly it was demonstrated by
the experiments OF Graham and others
that the processes Of putrefaction and
decomr ostlon have their origin in the
same manner.
If the germs floating in the air and
ether lriSs. to which nothing is inn
pervioua and penetrating everywhere,
were only to display their powers IN
securing the dtsintegration Of bodies