New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-20
THE SECRET OF Badness
,,coorrs ARE THE EXPLANATION
GIVEN BY a FRENCH
SCIENTIST
SCIENTIS'
From The Contemporary Review.

md n ordinary incident al tUf ''ui' - 49,
Iyr now learn that in this case, as III 80 l1anS
n,h'rs the course that we nave 50 EnpIy
aerrihad 10 nature is. after all, not the course
she herself has laid down; ana sna i "u,
su,nption Of II was founded in pure gnof ance'
For The secret Of badness has been lald par,
and behold it Is the almighty microDe 'ha' - DIT
the bottom Of ii all , m 40
pupi Of NJ Pasteur's school. and well known
for his researches on the nature ana cauSe ~
,inp,yorr1- 10 whom are indebted iOr TINS
r,w light on the familiar fact or MADNESS.
Common blindness. he asserts. ~ peTlccuv
definite maiady Of microbal origin one vi r w
most purely microbal have ever seen. tnr
discovery was not made In moment Nv"
lighted upon by accident. but was the result Oh
several years arduous and incessant studS Vi
various skin diseases When NJ Sehouiauu W.
,,on his researches ne did not by any means
auticipate whittier he would be led nut step
Us step as h" progressed one disease al'er an
other f"ll into line ana showed to'h'loii VI
diseases whca had not hitherto been suspected
- nave the least connection with one another
But each as & studied proved 10 ne the
work Of a destroying bacterium, and compari-
son Of the bacteria showed the surprising fact
that they were all identical in kind and the
divergence in effect resulted as the bacterial IN
nuencc was weak. or strong. or nodIhed ny ex-
ternal conditions. And finally. at the END OF the
chain when the evil influence is slight and in
sinuating rather than tercely attacking, comes
common badness no less "A result or TINS MI
crobc's work than tine other skin diseases which
are daily under the treatment OF physicians
This discovery. 50 unexpected and unthought OF
caused naturally the greatest SUI IllSN ~ VI ~
bouraud and those to whom he mentioned IT,
and in fact il is still received with increduHty
in certain quarters. but NJ. Sebouraud is conf
dent Of his conclusions and only appeals to time
and further experiment 70 prove ms statements
THE MICROBE DESCRIBED.
He describes this particular microbe as minute
colorless body, pointed at both ends. and IN
crcasing in numbers by constant division INTO
two. and since the divisions do not always i'm
mcdiatcly break off long chains frequently form
each Ink in the chain being a distinct mlCrODe
Il congregates in colonies OF enormous numbers
in the upper part Cf the hair folllcle below the
cpidermis. ana just where the sweat gland joins
the follicle At this point there is somewhat OF
an enlargement. and in this little cavity it finds
4 convenient habitat But further. each colony
is wrapped UP into a kind OF cocoon by fatty
matter from the sebaceous gland; the cocuons
vary in size and easy to obtain By squeezing
the skin al the mouth Of a gland. This microbe
of badness has been isolated and grown as a
culture on a suitable medium. when II appears
as a cOloress form. changing later into one OF
brick red hue.
The question which row remains to be
sWerpd is why the presence of this micrObe
should bring about such disastrous results. and
i'm what manner ii causes the falling of ot the
hair. seeing that II does not dwell at the root or
the hair but at some distance in the folllCle
above it, A hair cut off or destroyed above the
root is at once replaced by growth from below.
Just as a plant pushes up new stems to take
the place of any that may be lost, so 1t follows
that it can only bc by acting on the root that
absolute and permanent badness can be pro-
duced. Il is now shown that its method OF at
tack is as follows: The development and growth
Of the microbe causes certain changes in its en-
yironment-tha breaking up, for instance OF
substances around from which it obtains neces-
sary food and energy-and the cycle OF results
thus brought about gives the production OF a
substance poisonous to the root OF a hair. This
toxin passes down to the root and acts as slow
poison. killing all at once. but inducing Ger
tain characteristic symptoms; the hair becomes
lighter in color until its pigment has practically
disappeared its diameter gradually lessons II
becomes brittle and dried up, and eventually
dies and falls out. The root though weakened
10y the poison sends up another hair to replace
the fallen one. but The Outgrowth begins
life feebler and poorer than its predecessor. so
it too. only with greater speed. becomes vic
tim. So it goes on; each successive outgrowth
starts more weakly its night against the insinu
ating poison and more quickly Succumbs. until
a point is reached when the root can no longer
make a fresh effort. for it has also fallen com
plctcy under the noXiOus influence and t. killed.
This course OF events. occurring it does ST.
simultaneously in hundreds Of adjacent hair folli-
ccs naturally results in complete badness.
HOW Badness SPREADS
The manner Of the spread Of badness becomes
curious and interesting in the new light that is
shed upon it, Just a stone thrown into a
pond gives rise to every widening series OF
ripping circles as the influence OF its impact
extends through the water, a series which is
ultimately checked only when the limits of the
pond are reached. so the infection OF the microbe
extends in ever enlarging rings. beginning at
the verteX and slowly increasing the of in
lection until the whole of the head has become
involved. and only fringe Of hair remains of
the once luxurious growth. Why il should first
attack the verteX is not quite clear. for bald
ness caused 10y an acute attack Of disease may
be localized in any spot but the fact remains
that in all cases of gradual chronic badness it
invariably begins at the vertex usually slightly
also over the temples. though the vertex is the
chief centre of Infection. In the early days Of
an attack microscopic examination shows that
the small patch affected has the microbes spread
pretty equally all over IT, but gradually they &C