The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-04
Subject of Soil.

In talking with Or. Hoffman about the
matter Of specimens of soil from burnt
there were the same bacilli found in these
specimens of soils that were found in all
soils; some Of these bacilli stained like
the plague baciiii, but did not act like
them.
There has been a great deal of discus
sion, | believe, as to why the committee
on soils has not brought in it's report,
and more or less insinuation that some in
fluence was being brought to bear on the
Board. l think, however, that any one
who will consider the subject will appre-
ciate the very difficult. task the commit
tee have before them, and the great re-
sponsibility which rests on them in the
matter. The process OF determining the
character of the bacilli found in the soil
is a long and tedious one. With "a given
quantity Of soil, culture must be made
as above explained, to see if any bacilli
are TO be found. When bacilli are found
they must be separated and a new Gull
ture made to determine their nature.
Bacilli may appear which have the polar
stain OF the plague bacillus. These must
be isolated and new culture made. and
this process repeated each time, iSOlating
with the platinum needle until Il pure
culture is obtained. When obtained these
bacilli which appear TO resemble the
plague bacillus. in small numbers, may
develop. when cultured in large numbers,
to be something else. At any time in this
process it may develop that the germs are
not plague, in which case you must com
mence at the beginning again.
Having isolated plague bacilli. culture
like the rat-and then We have to wait
for the rat to die. He may live longer
than the regular time, but having died.
il is necessary to make a culture from
the bacilli in his spleen or elsewhere and
inCculate another animal with it. If he
dies. and third rat dies from the culture
Of the second one, you may be reason
ably certain that you have the plague
bacillus Isolated. IL being presumed that
the rat has the other symptoms common
to the plague.
But II the rat does not die. IL does not
prove that there is no plague bacilli pres
ent in the soil, for IL is known that after
n time the bacillus ceases to be Virulent
and aggressive, or in the experiments
something may destroy the vrulence of
the germ. -
were found in the samples tested, does
not by any means show that there are
not millions of bacilli swarming in the
fected district is not TO people walking
through IL. 1 think that IL is absolutely
safe for any one to walk through it, The
chance OF finding bacilli on the surface
OF the soil Is nil The danger comes in
turning up the soil. in building and in
digging cesspools i Is not on the sur rIr,
in cesspools and rat holes.
Theory Of Recurrence.
The theory of the recurrence of plague
Is that the rats infected by plague die in
their holes. and other rats passing over
the ground become infected and die. In
time the rats will leave or die 1t Is
here the danger comes in SO long as
the ground Is barren, no one lives there
and no foodstuffs are brought into the
district, the rats are not going to come
back there. There is nothing for them
to live on, and the bacilli which still ex-
list in the soil will have opportunity to
become extinct, or at least not as ag-
gressive and vicious they appear in
their worst form.
The history of the recurrence of plague
| Is not so often that IL is reintroduced
| from another country as that IL recurs
In the same locality in which II was sup
posed to have been stamped out.
Some Resentm emit.
! bring this matter up because think
there are some In the community on the