Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1899-01-26
GERMS COST FORTUNES.
Raising aud Nurturtng Of
Deadly Bacilli. |

Chelsea's Remarkable Industry, the
Raising aud NurturfnE OF
Deadly Bacilii.
Did you ever hear of germ collector7
Did you ever consider it likely that
sane persons would scheme and pian
md devise methods for the most suc-
cessful propagation of bacilli? It's q
fact. Not so many persons are connect
ed with this re narkable industry al
make their living raising prize puppies.
In fact, one rarely hears of the doiDgS
Of germ fancier. We all know aud
tolerate the souvenir spoon collector
and the f1end who begs to mutilate our
foreign mail for the sake of the stamps
on the envelopes. Even the silkworm
grower is regarded with equanimity 80
long as he doesn't leave his cocoons ~
ing around where they might suggest
the demon children of strong drink.
But the germ raiseri He's novelty.
We of the United States don't 60 ~
for such pets. That is, we don't domes-
ticate them to any great extent. Across
the Atlantic, however, there are certain,
they are teaching the young idea In!
germs how to spread and multiply and
do stunts on a bed of agar jelly. Now
and then the germs go on strike: and
then there's poisonous time in any
old town they honor with their pres
ence. Something like this happened 81
short time ago in Vienna. A choice and
carefully nurtured collection of bubon-
ic plague bacilli thought an exit was
about due, and they passed out of the
sight and keeping of their masters
without so much as by your leave.
The owners of the collection COM
planned bitterly of the ungratefulness
of germs in general and of the bubonfc:
plague bacilli in particular. No amount
Of persuasion, however, could; induce
the wanderers to return. ~.
They make regular business # rails
ing deadly germs in England. The man
ufactory. or hatchery, or incubator, or
creative ground. is attached to the Brit
ish Institute of Preventive Medicine. at,
Chelsea. When the heads of bacteria,
logical departments of hospitals, mem
bers of the Royal Microscopical societyi
and private scientists and medical ex-
perts in general wish a particularly fine
specimen of disease producer they 60
to Chelsea and inspect the collection. ;.
No one but total abstainer has any
business in that place. The pupa Of
hydrophobia is neat-looking stranger.
to meet on dark night. He*is wrig-
Cling. rod-shaped bit of protoplasn,,
and he looks the part of madness maker
Then, there there is the trichina spir-
Ais. tiny but powerful; and the respon-
sible producer of scarlet fever. the
stodgy rnicrocoec,ls. When one of those
fairy-like germs gets an Introduction
10 the human system he brings along
his family, and there's new case Of
scarlet fever in town The con ump-
ton bacilli look like miniature eggs.
All the germs are bedded in agar jelly
and stained with aniline dye, SO as to
be the more apparent to those who
come to look and maybe to buy.
The things are sold in what is called
"colonies.'' 1t isastonishing what stiff
prices they bring, Take the bacillus
indicus ruber, for instance. When you
want colony Of those choice germs il
costs you $50. They are found only in
the stomachs OF certain monkeys, and
they are the aristocrats of the gather
ing. Scarlet fever micrococcl are the
canalle OF the ablishment. Cheap!
Two dollars and half will buy all the
germs necessary to start an epidemic Of
scarlet fever. Typhoid fever germs are
twice as expensive, but rank as the
plebeians in the department.
1t costs good bit to take away lep-
rosy germ colony from the institute
$25 is the fgure-but then the pur-
chaser has something choice in the ba-
cilli lines to brag of to his friends. The
especially selected colony Of the bacil-
lus of conjunctivitis (typhus) cests $40.
which would bring the price Of a pint
measure Of these interes sting creatures
UP to 81 ,o0o, 900. ,..,-a :.
The men who work on the germ
farm have 10 be as careful OF their
charges az mother is of her children.
All the implements and the gelatine
must be sterilized. else there will
spring up growth Of rank germs Of
no value and Of constant danger to the
life Of the expensive articles.-N. Y.
Herald.
His Papa's Trousers.
l Not long ago little Charles mamms
had pair Of trousers made for him
out of pair that his papa had relin-
quished. Little Charlie. was vastly
nleaAed with these tronser. ne @.iN