The sun., 1900-06-10
SEEKS TO PROLONG LIFE.
PROF. METCHNIKOFrS EXPERIMENTS
TO CHECK SENILE DECAY.

serums 70 Fortify the weaker Cells Reports Of
His Finding An Elixir Of life Exasserated.
hut He Is on tho Track OF Valuable Dis
coveries Concerning Disease From Decay.
Special Cable D~paten to THE sun
PARIS. June e.-The announcement last
December Of startling discoveries by Prof.
MetchnkofY at the Pasteur Institute Of a series
Of lymphs des gned to check decay in the human
body and indefinitely prolonG lie led TO exas-
gerated reports which ne desires to correct.
1t is perfectly clear after a conversation with
the professor that he Is on the track Of most
valuable discoveries. and II is clear at the same
time that. as he says. he Is "A man OF science
and not charlatan."
Coming to the Pasteur Tnttute in 1888 from
Odessa, he has since devoted himself TO the
study Of certain forms Of disease from decay,
seeking remedies to cure one by arresting the
other. He explains in connection with the
latter that exaggeralons have arisen. and in
sists that the researches are still in the initial
stage.
In communication to the French Academy
Of Medicine published on June under the cap
ton, Sur rfemato oily sine Humane" he gives
an interesting account OF the beneficial effects
OF the serotherapeulc treatment Of leprosy.
He was led to this experiment BY discussion
at the International Congress OF Lerrologists at
Berlin In 1907 Here some American doctors
strongly advocated the treatment Of leprosy
by the infusion of serum DR.. Bricger. head Of
the Koch Institute Hospital, opposed this, say
ing: We have not the least knowledge Of
whether the serum incloses antItoIins or
toxins
Prof. Metchnikoff Is now able to reply thanks
- ,ho lisooyary tho coll poisons II nlay he
serted that the serums employed in leprosy
inclose to1ines, notably hemolysnc and len
cotoxne.
Prof. Metchnikofr permitted TIE Sun cor
respondent TO read an advance copy OF
pamphlet, Revue de Queloues Travaux Sur
la Degeneresence senile." 1t is extremely
technical and fully ntelieible only to specialists
1t deals largely with the causes Of senile decay
resulting in death Referring to the estab-
lished belief that death Ia an Inherent attri-
butte of all living things, Prof. MetchnikoY
SAYS that biologists have sought In vain for any
proof of this. He points out the Wessmann
development Of the idea OF immortality ofuni-
cellular animals and plants, which are repro
duced indefinitely by repeated division. Weiss
mann holds that death originated In polycellular
organisms on account Of the difference arising
between terminating and somatic cells. con-
cluding that the real cause Of death must be
sought not In waste Of somatic cells. but in
the limitation Of the reproductive power OF
the cell. Prof. Metchnikoff enters fully into
the atrophy of certain cells Of old people and
brute animals and the experiments made on
the latter by the infusion Of serums TO check the
decay Describing the deadly struggle be-
tween the various cells. he says;
Sometimes II is the lencocytes which devour
the atrophic cells and sometimes certain phago-
cytes, e &, muscular sorcoplasma, aid in the
atrophying Of striatcd nbres.
Prof. Mechnikof's scheme i'.briefly, TO fortify
the weaker cells, and the experiments are
leading 10 hopes that those now falling easy
victims will be enabled to olfer longer resistance
such resist ,nce may be indefinitely prolonged.