Evening star., 1897-03-10
The Lore Of the Subject Of Inocu-
lation.
TIE THEORY OF FERMENTS EXPLAINED
Possibilities Suggested for Future
Scientific Experiment.
w IN E F 20 NJ B E E r

The Chemical Society of Washington !
met last night at Builders Exchange to |
receive the presidential address of DR.. E
A. de Schweinitz. He selected his topic |
1.-The War With the Microbes and the |
large audience present listened with inter-
est to the address.
Dr. de Schweinitz opened with brief
history Of the discoveries which lead up to
the germ theory of disease. Continuing,
he said:
THE work of Pasteur threw light uoon
the origin of these poisons. AS the fer
ment causes the alteration In the grape
juice, does a microscopic form of life
bring about the changes which take place
N dead animal and vegetable matter, and
also these conditions in the living body
which we call disease.
Many of these microscopic forms of sin
gle-celled plants, the bacteria, have their
natural ha bitat upon dead organic matter,
but they may flourish in the living body,
and are almost unlimited in variety, ap-
pearance and behavior. 1t is possible also
to cultivate them upon specially prepared
solutions after their individual peculiari-
ties have been studied. Some thrive best in
light, others in darkness, some like a good
ly supply of oxygen, others prefer nitro
gen, some are very sensitive to changes of
temperature, While others readily accustom
themselves to vicissitudes.
Habits of Microbes.
"These different bacteria, further. are
somewhat eccentric within as well as with
out the animal body. Some, as the dipn-
liberia germs, find their most comfortable
habitat upon certain mucous membranes
| others in the lungs, some in the digestive
tract, still others in the blood, while 9TH
erS again conffne themselves to certain eX-
terniil cells and membranes. In their arti-
fetal cultivation this is equally true. While
nearly all thrive upon beef broth, some
prefer the beef broth with excess of
acid, others with an excess of alkali. Some
demand the addition of sugar or glycer-
| inc, others the addition of sugar together
with acid, while some are satisfied with
4 diet of phosphates, salt and water.
1T remained for Salmon and his assist
ants, in this city, to demonstrate, in 1852,
| that the poisons of germs could be used by
| men and animals to fortify themselves
against the attacks of these same bac-
terra. This could be accomplished by in
| Producing into the circulation of the ami
NAL a small quantity of the poison Of the
germ, SO that when the germ itself was
| injected the poison which it produced was
| without effect. What had been found true
| for one disease of animals proved also to
be true for many others. and chemical vac
| cination was tried for diDhtheria, tetanuS,
| anthrax, cholera, typhoid fever. tubercu-
| losis, gianders and number of other dis
| eases. But this discovery led to another
important and far-reaching. Fodor showed
| that the blood serum of animals made i'm
mune to a particular disease by injecting
| the animal with the poison which the germ
formed had the effect of destroying the
| germ of the disease. This excited renewed
| interest in the study of the blood and with
| in few years 1t was demonstrated by the
| work of many, some in this city in the
| laboratories before mentioned. that this
| serum from previously immuniZed animals,
| not only had the property of comforting
| immunity upon other animals, but also of
| checking the disease after it had once be-
tl,;e
onstrated first by Bchring and subsequent
| ly by Roux and others in connection with
diphtheria and tetanus has been dwelt
upon often. and we know of the many
| thousands of lives that have been saved
by the alti-toxine serums.
How Serum is Secured.
ITO prepare these the solution of the
toxins which we have before described
are injected into different animals, pref
eraby horses, and at the end of six to
twelve weeks the blood of these animals
is found to yield serum containing sub
stances possessing both immunzing and
| curative properties which We call anti
| toxiTs s. The active principle of this serum
present is comparatively small in guam
tity, but its influence is enormous. 1t does
not appear to be substance which di-
rectly chemically neutralizes the poison,
but counteracts It's effects within the ami
NAL iE some unknown way.
But some of our friends may ask, were
not these facts discovered first by the use
| of animals, and hence has not this knoWl-
edge. though Of inestimabe value to man
kind, been too dearly bought? Yes. per-
} | haps. score or two of guinea pigs and
| sweet, lovely rats and mice have sacrificed
their lives for humanitys sake. But this
know edge could not have been gained in
any other way, unless by the sacrifice OF
human life. What mother would hesitate
to sacrifice u thousand guinea pigs for the
: life of her child ON the other hand
would wish her child to serve as the OBJ
ject CT experiment for others?
Horse Sense.
Il have often been asked if the horses
subjected to this treatment for the pro-
duction of anti-toxins suffer. 1 think not
and as an illustration will relate an in
cident which has under my own
observation, in the study of the anti-tox-
ins OF that dread disease, tuberculosis
A well-biooded horse, gentle in every par
ticular, except that he would run away
upon the slightest provocaton, seemed to
, be suitable subject for some work Ac-
cordiEgly he received an injection of the
, poison of the tuberculosis germ with the
expectation that high-strung an ami
: NAL would rebel against these pleasant IA
milia rites. But he was entirely too wise
, | for this. He submitted quietly and seemed
. much interested while by means of a hy-
| podermic syringe small quantity of the
poison was injected beneath his skin. A
| few days afterward when the opera tior
was repeated it would have been reason
able to expect that if there had been any
discomfort the horse would have rebelled
| against the procedure. Did this happen
Not by any means. AS soon he observed
! | the doctor appear with the syringe and
: | bottle he trotted toward him with pleas.
ure, stood quietly looking around with
, ! intelligence while the injection was made
!, | and ever afterward lent himself to the
! | experiment with as much evident pleasure
! | and interest as that OF the investigators
, , apparently thoroughly apprecating its OBJ
ject
: 1T would hardly be fair to say that thi.
dumb animal was endowed with more int ell
| ligence than some Of our iii-informed he
. well-meaning friends, and yet would its &C.
!. tions not seem to indicate an ,pp.e .,a,icr
| of scientific work and disclaimer Of s., n er
ing?
Treatment of Diseases.
\ us 1t that they are instisated by a. desir,
: to inflict torture that scores of inyes;ca
tors have sacrificed their lives in searchin,
= for the poisons of dangerous bacteria an(
a their anti-toxins? Is it inhumanity whicl
( spurs them on at imminent personal risks /,
their efforts which are daily yielding ne,