Evening star., 1900-11-24

causes and the cures of all diseases that
may overthrow him.
The camelot lives through his sickness
because the Institute Pasteur has found
the microbe that breeds his maiady and
has learned how to annihiate It, and be-
cause the city of Paris draws at once ON
all the knowledge OF the savants and ap-
plies 1t all, generously, unhcsitatingly. at
any cost to the service Of the poorest OF the
citizens.
Science VS.. the Mierobc
Nothing is done here without regard to
the all-powerful microbe. He Is traced in
all his manifestations. Milk is sterilizeI to
get rid of him. diet is chosen in such n way
as to give him least chance of life in every
individual case. for the doctor explains that
certain foods wholesome enough as food
goes are found to be good breeding ground
for the culture of particular tribes of the
small demons. An interesting illustration.
by the way, of the mastery now attained
over the bacteria OF disease was afforded
by some eXquisitely tinted silks pointed out
to me in the pavilions. They were In what
used 10 be called art colors' in the green
ery-ya!lery' days There were pa,e mauveS
and olive greens and very delicate shades
of pink. The ffossy silk had been dyed by
colorng matter squeezed from the germs
of hideous diseases. Thus may beauty come
out of corruption. and thus may You make
a fever provide you with handsome neck
tie. These long streamers of soft silk timed
by the juice of millions of invisible animal
culae We're symbolic OF the achievement cf
century of extraordinary scientific prog
ress
But it is not only in the ''Pasteurism''
applied to its hospitals that Paris leads
the way. II has called upen science to care
for mental diseases as well as for maladtes
purely corporeal to an extent undreamed
of elsewhere. The Salpetriere is famous
world
and his brilliant school made those re-
markabie experiments in the powers Of
mental suggestions and hypnotic treatment
which procured the worldwide recognition
of the new procedures 8 valuable addi-
ton to acknowledged science And here
before us in the exposition are illustrated
by statistics and more tangible proofs the
wonderful results achieved by the applica-
ten of the Salpetriere PRINCIPLES - the
cure Of the insane or mentally afflicted AT
the Salpetriere itself. at the 'Bicetre," at
the Charlie to mention only the better
known mental sanitariums the experts
succeed astonishingly in smoothing ont the
kinks in distorted intellgenccs and in
slowly making out of children. plunged in
sane beings. of use to the world and con-
sciously happy themselves.
For Minds Diseased.
1t Is quite certain that the idiot and the
insane of times have good reason-if
they have any reason at alto dance n
wild dance of joy at The reflection that they
are not born in "the good old days" Now
they have a fair, gambling chance of cure
and, if uncured, they are at any rate we'll
treated. A hundred years ago. or less, an
appalling brutality was their portion. and
no effort whatever was made to bring re-
lief to their miserable condition. If their
insanity was of the violent kind they were
kept perpetuaIly bound in chains with 4
heavy iron ball hanging between their feet
If they We're merely ifiiotic they Were the
butts of a gang of insolent. rough iaii"rs
whose brutality terrified them and de-
stroyed all chance of their reason ever de-
velopirg. They Were doomed to be out
casts of society forever
We have changed all that Under the
modern system. the ASYLUM has become in
reality hospital for sick minds Even in
cases of out and out lunacy, with tendency
towards violent manifestations the super
inducing nerve-siisturbance is often charmed
away by a long series of Skillful hypnotic
seances and the hallucinations which
prompt to maniacal fury are removed. The
lu ula tic becomes almost a normal being a
mental invalid" perhaps. but not danger
to socie.y. Quite often the patients a the
Paris a.sylums show remarkable gifts in
some one direction. At the Pavilion were
shown specimens Of clockmaking woCdcarv-
ing hookbnding and even draughtsman-
ship. painting and sculpture all the work
of patients, and all Of very distinct and
ever artistic inspiration. Idiotic children
taken In hand before the heavy cloud has
tirely cured nv mingled treatment of hyp-
notic suggestions and ordinary tuitioral
methods carefully adapted to their feeble
mentality. Hypnotic procedures are used
20 give them cheerful hopeful views ot
life: their interest in things about them is
awakened: appeal Is made to the dormant
germs of self-respect and ambition. Little
by little they are Introduced to the mySter-
les of the ordinary school course. From
being idiots they have been promoted to
the rank of children backward for their age.
Many when they leave the san!tarium are
as fitted for the battle of life as the aver
age person born. apparently. under Infinite
ly more promising conditions.
Idiocy is being recognized as merely re-
suit of ve-1erangement or of nerve dis
ease In Paris they are curing it-'as we
may hope" says DR.. Metschinkof ITO cure
sooner or later every malady.' Had any
other age of the world such hone?
V GRIBAYEDOFF.