The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-08
-s-os
DIR. NERSIN's EXPERIMENTS.
The Young French Physician Who
Believes He Has Found Remedy
for the Plague.
From the Baltimore Sun.

From the Baltimore sun
II the hope which DIR. Yersn has per-
mitted himself to cherish for several
months should prove to be well grounded
1t viii soon be possible to cope success
tuily with the bubonc fever, which Is
just now the cause of such a fearful panic
in India. DR.. Yersin is a young French
bacterio.ogist who visited Hong Kong
! early IN 1884, shortly after the outbreak
OF the plague in that city and Canton A
Japanese investigator from Toxic named
kitasato Is credited with having been the
| ifst person to isolate and identify the mi
crObe of this disease, but the FTenchman
| has apparently gone further than any one
else IN producing an antitoXin which shall
serve as preventive and curative agent
Wherewith TO fight that tiny but tremen-
dously potent mischief-maker.
During the closing weeks of 1896 Dr.. Yer
SIN started from Paris for the east haV-
ing received an invitation from the Eng
llsh authorities TO visit Bombay. Small
quantities of his preparation were placed
m the hands of local experts notably Dr.
Haffkine, who has himself evolved a sue
cesslul antltoXln for another dread mala-
dy the cholera. And two or three days
ago the cable reported that Dr.. Haffkine
was led by a. series of recent experiments
70 believe that an antidote had been found
IN attenuated virus of the Plague itself
IL Is probable that he referred TO DR. Yer
SIN $ serum. Some weeks may elapse be-
lore this suspicion is verified Then too
the public must not be too hasty and san
guine In its Interpretation of the Bombay
dispatch. But the situation is at least
hopeful and lends rofound interest to the
story OF DR.. Yersins work. even though
the latter affords close parallel to the
memorable experiments of Pasteur, Beh-
ring, Koch, Hankine, RouX and Calmette.
AFTER establishing a laboratory at Hong
kong IN June 1894, in the chief hospital
under English control there. Dr. Yersin at
hrst set out TO confirm Kitasato's discov-
cry. He took bits of soft substance from
the characteristic swelling (buboes) of rats
which had died from the plague, and also
from human victims, and inoculated there
with other rats. He also experimental on
mice rabbits and guinea-pgs all of which
animals Immediately developed the disease
and died from 1t. He found pigeons and
some other creatures proof against the
baleful injections. He also found that flies
which had died in his laboratory after au-
topsies might be robbed of their legs, wings
and heads, (Which could become externally
contaminated), and then ground up into
a paste which possessed the same fatal
properties.
But distinct proof of the bacterial char
acter of the poison was obtained only by
cultivating the germs on sterilzed gela-
tine plates. in bouillon and in other we'll
known ways. The progeny of the original
microbe were introduced into the veins, or
under the skin, of more mice, rats, rabbits
or guinea-pigs, and killed quite as surely,
u not as quickly, as the pulpy matter de-
rived from the swelings of animals or
persons clearly affected by the malady.
The particular artificial preparation, or
culture which gave the most striking re-
suits was an alkaline per cent. solution
of peDtone, TO which ] or per cent of
gelatmc had been added
In passing il may be remarked that the
germ was also found I'm the blood and GER
tain organs like the spleen and liver. as
well as IN the characteristic sweilings. But
1t was less abundant in the blood espec-
tally as the hour of death approached An
examination OF soil under a house which
had been infected showed that the earth
itself at q depth of an inch or two con-
tanned lived bacteria, even though the place
was supposed to have been disin rected.
These exhumed germs presented the same
appearance as those taken from swelings
when examined by a microscope but they
did not possess the same virulence.
The form of the bubonic microbes is
short and stubbed, like bean, instead of
long and hairy. In shape, therefore, they
are half way between the rounded micro
coccus, of which the germs of diphtheria
and smallpox are representatives and the
slender. rod-like bacillus, the genus to
which belong the agents of tuberculosis
and cholera. However, inasmuch as DR.
Yersin and others continually refer TO the
neWly-fOund bacterium as a bacillus"
probably IL Will not be necessary 10 es-
tablish a new genus expressly to accom-
modate the little rascal. As with other
such creatures, the bubonic bacilli ar
range themselves in continuous chain
usually in contact endwise, but sometimes
with their sides in touch They are nat
uraly coorless and transparent. although
they show a faint iridescence at times