The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-08-20
SANARELLl'S DISCOVERY
DosiIl1 lelsgsides Proved 70 Do the Cause
n Yellow Fever.
REPORT r rue COMMISSION or INQUIRY
aesn II tAs Disease believed 20
1sve Desa Isolated - Numerous
Ana IntersstinG Experiments.

commissioned by President Mckinley In
November. 1897, to Investigate In Havana
the nature of yellow fever, have submit
ted an exhaustive report OF their re-
searches to Surgeon General wyman, an
excellent synopsis Of which the latter this
evening furnished. The commission says
It has demonstrated absolutely the cor
rectness Of the claim OF Prof. Sanarelli Of
Bologna, italy, who announced some time
ago that he had discovered the yellow
fever germ In the bacillus ioteroides.
Moreover, the commission asserts 1t has
proved that the germ first lodges In the
lungs instead Of In the alimentary canal
90 heretofore generally supposed. Other
interesting conclusions also have been
reached The summary of the commits
sion's full report. which DR.. Wyman gave
out. Is as follows.
The report embodies tho work of the
commission In fairly testing the claim OF
Prof Sanarelli, that the bacillus icte-
foides Is the cause OF yellow fever and
the conclusion Is drawn that this famous
sclehlst mas isolated the true cause of
the terrible soourge.
This conclusion is based upon care
full bacteriologic study In the well-equip-
ped laboratory of the marine hospital serv-
ice In Havana, Cuba, OF twenty-five cases
OF disease thought to be yellow fever by
the native physicians In attendance or
these cases all We're seen during the
progress of the disease, and In fourteen of
them the commission concurred in tho
diagnosis.
Each case was the subject OF careful
meteorological study before. and. IL prac-
ticable. after death. This consisted in
the abstraction of blood In sterile bulb
tubes from the eartip under careful asep-
sis. This blood was then diluted In the
bulbs with meat-peptone bouillon, and af-
ter an incubation OF twenty -four hours
the growth was transplanted to fresh
tubes OF bouillon. from which, after TWEEN
ty-four hours. Petri plates were made in
series. From these the organisms present
in the blood were isolated in pure cultures
and studied, After isolation each organ
ism was subjected to the cultural examn-
alton on all media. by means of which
those meeting the demands of Sanarelll
for the organism he discovered were read
lily selected and their pathogenicity for
animals established.
"Of the fourteen cases diagnosed as yell
low fever, the commission Isolated the
organism OF Saparelil the bacillus icte-
roldes, from thirteen. and In the case in
which this organism escaped the observa
tion of the commission, 1t was located by
an independent observer for whom tube
cultures had been taken at necropsy
conducted by the commission.
Thus the even percentage OF Isolation
has been obtained In these fourteen cases,
all of which presented prominent symp-
toms of the disease. In the cases not t.ius
diagnosed the organism OF Sanareli was
not obtained.
From the living blood Ia twelve of the
fourteen cases, distracted not earlier
than the third day OF the disease, the
organism was isolated, and In the two
others 1t was obtained post mortem.
Tho commission having preserved a
number of cultures made at the Isolation
hospital in the city of New Orleans from
cases seen during 1897, also Isolated there
from the bacillus icteroides in the <opor
ton of 1888 per cent OF the cases ex-
amlned the cultures having boen made at
necropsy.
THUS the Identity OF the bacillus letter
oides of our Southern S!utes, with that
found In Cuba, and that sent the commits
sion by Prof. Sanarelli. which was OBJ
tanned in South America was established.
Numerous and interesting experiments
were made with animals, the commission
finding all the animals at It's command.
such as mice, rats, dogs cats, guinea
pigs, rabbits and monkos5. quite suscep-
tible to the artificial Infections produced
by noculating them un&r the skin, in
traperltoneally and endo -venously AT the
same time 1t became convinced that the
same or very similar results, were OBJ
tainhble by the use OF other organisms
of different kinds.
From these facts the commission, early
In it's work. became convinced that the
claim OF Prof Sanarelli OF having dis
covered the germ of yellow fever, was
not established by any evidence presented
in his published works, and that II was
not tenahle SO long as IT could be claimed
that the bacillus of l1ayelburg and the
bacillus Of Sternburg produced the same
pathological conditions, when artihcially
inocuated; and the com mission recognized
the validity of his claim, In view OF the
facts given above, although 1t had for
some time recognized both Of those organ
isms as belonging to the colon group.
'At this stage OF its work the solution
of the problem seemed very remote but
before turning to some other ana unknown
cause of this disease, ii was determined
to place experimental animals under ma
tural conditions of Infection, since st was
recognized that all preceding experimental
work was 80 artificial that 1t was impos-
sible for the commission to Judge OF the
pathogenic. or rather specific merits OF the
three prominent organisms.
From this s~lmal experimentation the
commission proves the natural spechcity
of the organism OF Sanareli the absolute
innocuousness of the bacillus coli commu-
mis-, OF the bacillus x. and of the bacillus
Havelburg, to even the most susceptible
of animals; and marked degree OF SINH
larity in the reaction of these animals
(mice) to the acute infectious organisms,
such as bacillus typhosus and bacillus
cholerae suis when exhibited to them
naturally. The Sanarelli organism Is thus
eliminated from the colon group and assoc
ciated with the acute infectious organisms.
"The commission recognized that Sana-
rellfs claim was only on OF pathogenicity
'and not of specifcty; that until such
demonstration Of specihcity there could be
no valid claim for his organism. This
validity the commission believes to have
established In the conclusion that the
bacillus icteroides Is 'nwsirally infectious
to animals, the degree varying with the
species; that In some rodnris local In
fections Is most quickly followed by blood
infection. aad while In rabbits and dogs
there is no evidence - this subsequent
Invasion Of the blood. monkeys react to
the infection. the same as man.
1.-THE commission has determined that
the Infection takes place by way OF the
respiratory tract and that the primary
colonization in the lungs is responsible
for the hrst evidences OF absorptive in
toxication. such as fever, pains, etc.. char
acteristic OF the disease. Also that this
primary colonization In the lungs and its
person symptoms may constitute the entire