The record-union., 1898-09-26

| micro beS are SHOWN to be located, hope
to arrest the further enlargement of its
l area Whether OF not the attacking
| microbe ring would find it possible te
| pass over the clearing is a matter OF
further experiment; probably, however
it would be greatly arrested
DEMONSTRATING THE DISCOv-
| ERY.
For some time after M. Sebouraud
| was fully confirmed in his own mind
that he had discovered and isolated
| the cause of badness, he yet found
| himself unable actually to prove the
| fact. It was true that he could dem
| onstrate that this particular microbe
was present in every case Of badness
but that was no proof-as every logi-
clan knows, the invariable concomitant
| by no means implies a casual relation
| the microbe, as we'll as the badness
| might be the effect Of some remoteI
| cause. To constitute proof he must
| reverse his work, and, beginning with
the mdcrobe, produce, at will, badness
| by introducing it into a head of hair
| Now this seems simple enough in the
| ory, but in practice it is not so easy
A human subject will not readily lend
hardly be blamed for excusing him
self, and with animals, the usual sub
jects of investigation, an unexpected
difficulty presents itself. The examina-
ton of the hairy skin of an animal,
such as, for instance, a rabbit or a
guinea-pig, shows that the bacteria
indigenous to it are altogether differ
ent in species to those Indigenous to
the skin of human being, and that
those which thrive on the one Will
not, however carefully transplanted,
thrive on the other. Hence it was not
possible to carry the microbe suspected
as the cause of badness from a man
to an animal and produce the charac-
teristic bald patches therefrom.
Quite lately, however since the first
publication of his researches, he has
been able to practically prove his point,
though the above difficulty necessarily
remains insurmountable. He isolated
| the microbes, and cultivated them in
a suitable nutritive liquid; after they
had we'll developed he filtered the liquid
through porcelain, and believing that
if his theories were true the filtered
liquid would contain the substance they
produced poisonous to hair, he took a
rabbit and inoculated it deeply under
the skin with the fluid AS he hoped
and anticipated, the rabbit speedily be-
gan to lose it's fur, and in between five
and six weeks 1t was completely denud-
ed-in fact, it had become entirely bald.
The same experiment has also been
performed on sheep and a guinea pig,
in each case entirely successfully, the
patches of badness promptly appear
ing. The experiment is further inter
esting as showing something beyond the
mere casual relation between this mi
crobe and loss of hair, for it demon
strates clearly that the poison is so
acute and individual that, even when
inoculated into the general system of
an animal it flies at once to the hairs.
and acts solely upon them
NO REMEDY SUGGESTED.
But though the secret of badness has
been thus laid bare, and its cause act
ually brought out, isolated and exam
1ned in the searching light of day, yet
M. Sebouraud does not hold out golden
hopes Of its prevention and cure in the
future. And thus the discovery will
bring scant comfort to those who are
painfully conscious of the rapid ap-
proach of their enemy It is difficult,
indeed, to find much joy in the accu-
rate scientific knowledge of the cause
of an evil affecting US when that knowl-
edge brings no alienation to our dis
tress. Even for the prevention of a.
threatened attack M Sebouraud can
suggest nothing better than the old
pharmaceutical remedies already en-
ployed by the medical profession, and
later on. when the trouble has become
permanent, he is still more of a Jobs
comforter, for then he holds out not the
slightest hope Of improvement. And
Tor this reason: During the time of
the gradual suppression of the hair the
skin round the follicles becomes hard
ened; the adjacent follicles extend and
meet, and the margins of their orifices
fuse into sort of vestibule or funnel.
This has the effect Of adding to their
hight or, rather, since 1t is the sur
face which is raised, Of making them
seem more deeply sunk in the skin. The
mlcrobial cocoons, still resting in their
Old quarters-the dilation at the func-
ton of the sebaceous gland and the
follicles-necessarily appear to be also
more deeply embedded BY degrees the
upper surface becomes so greatly in
crusted and hardened that ii is not nos
slpIe Tor any external treatment to
torce way through and reach the mi
crobe colonies. Hence, he believes. all
idea OF further medical treatment must
be at an end. Even a scraping of the
surface, which, in the stage of incipient
badness, always reveals abundant evil
dence Of their presence. now brines 70
light nothing. Indeed, when once the
skin has begun to harden increasino ..
narshness IN the scraping Is needed to
OBTAIN tnem, even though they may be
present in myriads.
Iherefore, If the mischief making
mlcropes are so far beyond reach that
SUBMISSION to their evil influence is the
only course to take, the man with the
rnaa bald head may well feel little
interest In the new revelation: but for
tnose In the early stage of the meIadv
before 1t has become ingrained bone
must surely spring up in their hearts
Ihe recognition Of a cause is certain1v
step on the way to the knowledqe o4
the prevention Of that cause and tba
discovery OF the cause of one Of Tho
minor worries Of life, as badness nm
oouoteoly is, must be a help to its cure.
And II 1t has been possible for M. Sc
nouraud to learn so unexpectedly the
reason for badness, may not a. new in
Vestgation reveal an antitoxin-an
IDEAL hair restorer for the million? Anv-
way: we stiil may hope.-Contempor
Review.
The Season Opened.
Mrs. De Style-Dear me, What a lot
or society news you've rot hold of-