New-York tribune., 1900-01-29
GERM THEORY DISCUSSED.
BACTERIA HAVE BEEN MALIGNBD. SAYS
PROFESSOR BoTrOMLEY.
EPDcrEs rHAr INCREASE SEVENTEEN MILLION
FOLD pAnY-No CHEESE NOR TOBACCO
WITHOUT THEM

rne Increasing interest that women in England
a-e taking IN agricultural industries has led the
Lady Warwick Agricultural Association to estab-
lsh GLASS IN baoteriology for farmers wives and
daughters at Reading England. The microscope
win be used In the lectures, and the application of
the subject TO practical agricultural questions will
be considered
Lecturing at Coventry, England w B. Bottomley
professor Of botany in Kings College, London said
that the average had idea that bac-
tersum was horrid thing that could squirm and
kick and bite, The idea prevalent was that they
were always on the prowl, trying to kill folks al
ways on the lookout to hop down and give the
doctors something to do. Bacteria not of that
kind They had. unfortunately got bad
They associated them with disease, and thought all
bacteria were dangerous That was not So There
were a large number Of useful ones and not one
OF those present would be alive that night unless
# were for bacteria" The first view thrown upon
the screen drawing by Won Ileuwenhoch in
$685. showing the three forms of bacteria the
rounded ones, the rod shaped and the spiral
ones.
Referring to Pasteur's work the lecturer ex-
pressed the hope that would try to take a.
cheap sneer out OF Pasteur The latter had been
called ''the mad dog doctor" but that was an un-
worthy cognomen 10 apply to this man. who had
done so much for science, and who demonstrated
that bacteria We're everywhere, in the water they
drank, in every inch of SOIL and that they were
the agents of life and death. Bacteria were al
ways with them, and therefore 1t behooved them
to know something about them. Referring to the
picture Of calf suffering from ringworm, Profess
Bottomley pointed out how easily children
could contract ringworm from cats. Attention was
next given to the fermentation bacteria 1t was
probable that every kind of alcohol had it's own
kind Of germ to produce it, and the difference be-
tween German lager beer and a bottle of strong
porter was simply due to the difference Of the germ
which caused fermentation.
Professor Bottomley went on to explain how the
germs were caught, and remarked that in the air,
IN place
specially steriized, from which these germs were
absent Dealing with the power of multiplication
of these germs, he said 1t estimated that in a
Day one would multiply to II 900 oCo and at the end
reason they did not get overwhelmed was that the
ONE of the e ney sde % a a
bacteria found on a piece of clothing worn by a
simply crowded with cholera germs This showed
the importance OF burning or destroying all cloth
had been suffering from any infectious disease.
terfa found in drop Of London drnRng o1 Tae2
which led the lecturer to draw an Imaginary pict-
antisepuc they were able to kill off all bacteria,
disappeared; there would be fevers. no small
pox; anthrax would be unknown. there would be
toothache would be thing of the past Boils and
a go se w0d fer have 06 a milk would
there would be no meat going bad in the summer
not be palatable Their butter would be quite
tasteless; there would be washing days, be-
be- be no 10 vegetables b growp because farmers would
There would be no cheese, and then what would
lutely dependent upon bacteria for the flavor
tobacco. A germess world would not thus be an
unmixed blessing If they-could food
would not be able to digest It, because the bacteria
which were always in the body produced benehcent
changes in helping digestion. Therefore they would
all die Of indigestion II they able to get food,
which would not be likely
The lecturer next passed on to give results
of analysis Of some iceoream from a stall in St
Pancras, where it found that third OF a tea
spoonful contained three millions of germs.
That being so, it necessary that the ''up-to-
date icecream vender should be above suspicion