The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1897-12-04
HOW MICROBES THRIVE.
Most of Them Prefer Man and Make
Him Their Victim.

Ono would think that such triiiing
things as the microbes--several MIL
lions of which could find comfortable
accommodation on the surface OF
shilling-woud not have any special
tastes one way or another. But they
really are quite particular as to where
they take mp theirabode One kind only
happy when il can locate itself in solue-
body's lungs; another goes to the liver
by choice; n third is satisfied when IL
gets to the back Of the mouth. Again.
one kind will fird its billet in dog or
remain homeless; another prefers
pigeon; third likes the rabbit best; a
fourth is not content with anything
lower than man.
Most microbes like man when they
can get him, and the typhoid germ likes
nothing else He is distinguished from
all others Of his kind by the fact that
he will have pothing to do with any
other species of animal whatever, and
that, wherever man is, he is there also
Whether in Iceland or India, Canada
or Central America, England or Au-
stralia, the typhoid bacillus is always TO
be found wherever men are gathered
together And mountain is the same
as plain to him; inland as seaboard. To
look at, he is not much. just little,
short, thick rod, with rounded ends.
He is always on the move. When very
short he moves quite rapidly; when a
bit long he takes things easier, No
doubt the great object of his motion is
TO get into q mans stomach and intes-
tines, for when he gets there he stays
there long enough,
He would stay there indefinitely.
for no human power can eject him
but for the curious fact that after
time he poisons himself. Fortunately
all microbes do this or they would soon
clear the earth of every living thing.
The typhoid bacillus does il usually in
about three weeks, sometimes even in
two. but often he takes four or five or
even six. The course Of the disease in
any individual case depends altogether
on the length of time the bacillus takes
to poison himself AS is well known,
doctors do nothing beyond sustaining
the patients strength and seeing that
he is placed in the best conditions to
weather the attack. But from the
moment the bacilli enter the intestine
they continue to manufacture some eX-
truordinary destructive substance in
which. sooner or later, they all die. The
worst If it is that this substance is also
poisonous 10 humnK beings and often
kills them first. Itisthis, in fact, which
produces the fever. The bacillus him
self remains all the time in the intes-
tine, but the poison. called tex albumin,
which he manufactures is absorbed into
the blood and brings about that ter
rible condition called typhoid fever.
Now ana again the fever lasts five
weeks, and IL may not end even till the
forteth day. Then comes Che most
diricalt period Of all for those In at
tendance. \ doctor positively does not
know what to do WITH a couyalesccut
typhoid patient He is so ravenously
hungry that he would rather get n
piece OF raw beef at once than wait five
minutes fora nicely cooked lamb outlet.
Most medical meu believe, however.
that for ten days after a typhoid patient
is well ON the road ~ recovery solid
meal is as dangerous as the original
dose of microbes.-Kordon Mail.