The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-28

a needle in any substance containing bac-
terra and then thrust IL into some culture
media such as soup, Jelly, cornstarch, or
coagulated blood In such a base the hac-
terra would be deposited In the more con-
genial soil, and multiply so rapidly as
soon to provide the Investigator with am.
pie material for his experiments.
1t was to Prof Koch's book on the
"Etiology of Anthrax" published in 1873,
that the world was indebted for the placing
of bacterology upon a solid scientific ba.
sis This frightful disease caused the
death of sheep worth 81 10000 annually
in France alone. II was so malignant that
animals feeding above the graves of for
Iner victims were infected and died Peo-
pie who handled the hides and wool Of
diseased sheep. acquired the infection, and
even bone dust, used as manure, COM
muncated the poison to human beings and
to the animals which patook OF the en-
suing vegetation. The resistance of An
thrax bacilli to destructive agents seemed
beyond the power of science to overcome.
After eleven years of life they were found
stiil active and five months immersion IN
alcohol seemed rather to stimulate their
activity than to lesson It. When intro
duced into the body they multiplied with
extraordinary rapidity consuming the OK
ygen In the blood faster than the lungs
could supply 1t. After death the capil-
laries were found absolutely stuffed with
compact masses OF bacili in numbers be-
yond the possibility OF computation.
The study of this disease. and of others
which were traced to bacterial sources,
led to the discovery that germ diseases in
general were self-limiting-that they ran
a specific course which in the majority of
cases ended in recovery. This led to the
inference that germs form and excrete
some poison which is fatal to themselves,
and this was proved to be the case by
the fact that when the germs of certain
diseases were placed In suitable culture
media, they developed for only a limited
period and then died; az the same time it
was noticed that the action of the germs
upon the culture media transformed the
latter into new substances. The yeast
germ. for instance. acting upon corn
starch, produced alcohol and carbonic
acid, while certain disease germs produc-
ed the substances now widely known as
toxins.
Serum and incubation.
The germs themselves in some cases
were used to inoculate healthy animals.
and the germs taken from them were used
upon other animals. After passing through
a certain number Of beasts the germs
were found TO have become so weakened
that when inoculated in healthy individ-
uas they would cause an attack of the
disease harmless I'm itself but sufficient
to prevent the recurrence of the trouble.
IL was in 1880 that Pasteur announced his
ability to prevent chicken cholera by this
means, and the announcement OF a virus
for the cure OF Anthrax soon followed
Two years later Koch announced the dis
covery Of the bacillus Of tuberculosis, now
known as the hyphen bacillus. and later
the Identification of the comma bacillus,
as the cause OF Asiatic cholera. IL may
be well to explain al this juncture how the
presence Of these germs can be detected.
In suspected cases OF cholera, for In
stance, a needle Is dipped In the excreta
of the patient and then thrust into a test