Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1901-08-07
BATTLE OF GERMS.
Destructive Agencies Combated BY
Friendly Parasites.
Vast Field of Seize ntfAs Invsstf s~sisn
which Nay Yield Valuable Re-
suAsssts Animal ana ysxs~ IS
- table Lifa -,

The deeper science Olga into the
secrets of nature the more wonderful
the balancing of forces appears, and
not the least of these maryeis of ad-
1astment is the counteractlng or
breaking down of agencies destructive
to life by the activity of other or
ganisms..@; = :. .r..z...
In vague way this balancing Of
thesforces of life and death was realo
ICED long ago, but now investigation
has revealed much that was formerly
hidden: 1t has even become possible
fSri nhn TO protect himself and his
property, to some A. extent against.
haEmiby using minute living organ
isms to check and undermine those
which. are his foes, says the cleve-
land Leader. ''--.A. :, - =
The, most striking recent instance
Of this kind is afforded by the work
OF the department Of agriculture In
combating the insects that prey upon
the fruit trees of California. Parasites
Of 'orSanisms which are themselves
parasites of the trees are saving or
chards and groves by destroying the
fees Of the fruit. A destructive scale,
as the little creature is called, eats
the trees, and 1t, in turn, is eaten by
o ladybug imported from Australia.
So the balance is restored, and beneh-
cent forms of life, viewed from the
human standpoint, Ut least, have
their due advantage over the forces
OF destruction.
The success Of such ingenious levy
ing Of microscopic warriors for some
OF mans hardest fighting suggests
the possibility of destroying the
smallest germs of disease which are
living organisms by discovering some
thing still more infnitesimal to prey
upon these pernicious forms Of de-
structive energy, as they do upon
man. 1t would be rash to say that
this is going too far for human
knowledge or resources.
Well-known and very significant
facts indicate that just such agencies
may yet be used to break the power
Of deadly germ diseases. Nature
might we'll have some such way of
preserving q fit and wholesome bal
ance between life and death, In the
highest of all her organic forms.
II Is well understood, fer example,
that when virulent disease 10 Intro
duccd where 1t never before exi.sel
its ravaces are far worse than any
havoc which 1t causes In countries
where 1t has been a curse for genera
tione OF. centuries. Smallpox simply
Slaughtered the Indians Of America
when Il Sas brought Into this con-
tinent from Europe. Pulmonary
tuberculosis, or consumption OF the
lungs. has practically depopulated
certain islands Of the South seas
where the natives seemed not to
have encountered the disease before
white men brought 1t into their
earthly paradies. $50.
ON the other nand, n sonntrtsD ike
Japan, where a race has been settled
for many hundreds Of years. with lit
tie change In the essential i,a's!ts CT
conditions OF life. the resisting pow
er Of the body when assailed, as 1t
always Ia, more or lesa, by disease
rerrrs, arpears to have heen so dayel-
ored by the survival OF the fi'test, or
othtrwiFS, that many cases OF con
sunT+iof, result In cures which woulf
be deemed wonderful in other lands.
Is II mot possible that this CROWN"
ability to come In contact with dead
" germs and still retain good health
NAV he due to the development of
the ri%ht kind of organism or secre-
ton Of the body to attack. In turn
and destroy the most fatal foes Of
mang2.
There 10 q vast field of investira-
tioni opening in this direction which
may yield results which now seem
less Substantial than any of the fairy
tales of science. It may he that dis
coyesies are to be made in the con
troll Of natural forces affecting the
healthy and strength Of the human
body,aits lie and durstion..;whichw viii
be Ss.reyolutionary and .epoch-mak-
Ing d any Of those marvefs of inven-'
tipn (which made the last century TO-
moui s}qEcver In the history OF our
race. sss .g,a -. l'
u, L. 49,