Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-01-28


Paris to the Washington Star:
With the last year of the dying CEN
tury--or the first year OF the new born
one, as we follow Pope or Emperor
death-haunted humanity has been
given n promise SO astounding that the
mind almost refuses to accept 1t. HUI
man life may be indefinitely prolonged.
The news. which is sober, serious and
veracious- coming as it does from that
very center of micropiological science,
the Pasteur Institutc-must have al
ready flashed along the cables of the
world, to cause a stir in every town and
city, Yet am willing to predict that
the stir has passed and the people have
sunk back into ha bitual incredulity and
Indifference.
Yet the thing is true. They have dis
covered how to successfully combat old
age; and there are thousands of peo-
pie living on the face of the earth to-
day who will, in every human proba--
bility. continue to live on 200 years, 300
years. or till they are tired OF life. or
course. disease Is still the enemy, and
accidents will always carry off their
victims; but as disease after disease is
being conquered yearly dlphtheria, the
pest, canccr-old age has already he
come In theory, the great final stumbl-
Ing block. Now ii has been SO effect
ually lifted aside that the hale old man
runs as good a. chance or hanging on to
existence as does the adolescent. Moro
than that, the hale old man will grow
young again. .Anaemic women will
bloom into hcalthfulness. And mon ot
middle age may go OH awful. ssprccs''
ana then recuperatc on the life giving
serum.
HOW THE DISCOVERY WAS MADE,
The initial discovery was made in the
following manner: Among the assist
ants OF Professor Mechnkofr, the head
OIL Inc section that has made his eype-
riments. is NJ. I3ordet, who last wear
published in the ''Annalcs de rInstitute
Passeur' the results of n curious cype-
riment he had made. A. Bordet had
injected the blood OF rabbit into n
guinea pig. Some time later lie in
Jected the blood OF this guinea pig into
another rabbit. The rabbit died.
Starting from the fact that The moi
son elaborated III the guinea pig is Ia
TAI IN large doses. Professor Mccbni
kon argued that ITS action in small
doses must be stimulating. On This
principle is based the action of all med
lcines Ike strychnine, arsenic, and so
forth. The professor therefore began
to inject into rabbits certain feeble So
mtions of previously injected guinea
pigs blood
The cubic miilmeter OF hlaoa in the
rabbit thus treated contained before
the injections, 3,00oOG0 red 'globulcs In
three or four days thnt number had
increased to 5000, 900. 4 sovereign rem
edy against nnaemia had been discov-
cred, and Il theory Of Professor Mechni-
koif concerning the red glObulcs con
hrmed. But. far more than this, it
dawncd upon them they had hit on a
specific serum for the blood. and with
IT. new means OF indefinitely prolon@-
ing human life was put in.o the hands
OF man.
The morning after the news was first
publishcd-o few lines OF 'indiscre-
ton" cabled to the Morning Post OF
London by a correspondent who had
heard it as n secrct-there was gen
eral attack on the Pasteur Institute
myself counted fifteen reporters and
correspondents. and have heard they
kept on coming all day long. DR. Ellie
Mechnikoff, whom we were at last per-
United to see, did not hesitate to cx-
press great dissatisfaction with the
visit. "All this is going to be very pre-
mature" he heshtated. as it true?"
tiICu NHe Will pUe VOICE.
Yes, I will not conceal 1t from YOU"
was the momentous answer; ''the main
problem has been solved"
When it is remembered with what
calm the world has always received the
gifts Of science we who first heard this
wonderful admission may be excused
for not hurrahing. Great news is hard
to realize, and as il grows on one the
mind becomes accustomed TO it, Our
first preoccuDation was 10 assure tls3
I authorities of the Pastcur Institute that
\ there should be nothing in our accounts
to discourage n rush of the aged pub
lie intent on drinking OF the fountain
OF youth without delay LET them
take care not to come, exclaimed M.
Bordet, while the great discoverer re-
Deated the warning, anxiously. For
the moment VIC cannot prolong any
Thing. There Is only tho question. for
he moment. of laboratory experiments,
distract work. The matter is not yet
lIpc for the great public
IN THE INSTITUTE.
iI3y this time We~had managed TO get
stated in n semicircle around Prof.
N@chnkoff and two of his assistants.
" WAS in the reception room and library
81 the Pasteur Institute, where looked
dwn uDon us from their frames the
nf't:aiis of the investigators of the
nit. Eayer, Magendie. Claude Bernard,
i's'i Bert and Browns quard. On the
"a zee board we could read the an
rgtncement of the fftieth anniversary
81 lhe Societe de Riologie that happens
sohppropriately in this year of the
6rht discovery. y bust or Pasteur &C.
cuhod the place OF honor. And the
TAKES all about the calm and learned
LOOKING room, were Uttered with The
.latSt Issues of Proceedings. Annals,