New-York tribune., 1901-06-09
RHEUMATISM MICROBES.
ENGLISH INVESTIGATORS THINK THEY
HAVE FOUND SOME

Is infectious disease has accumulated within
the last ten years, and while that theory is not
yet to be regarded fully established. it has
apparently gained some ground even this very
spring. The Philadelphia Medical Journal"
fers to it as the more generally accepted view"
TO which the Tactic acid and nervous origin ex-
plantations have given place to some extent
/ One Of the reasons for suspecting that this dis
order might be infectious is that several cases
will often occur in the same house. and it is
peculiarly prevalent in large communities.
Again. ii has been asserted that the mortality
and frequency of rheumatic fever huctuate in
the same way as those of erysipelas and scarlet
fever.
Now. infectious maladies are all attributed to
ulicro-organisms. and soon suspicion was
excited the search began for bacteria which
should prove to be characteristic of the malady
IN question. One expert hunted in the blood;
another directed his attention TO the tonsils;
third examined the synovial fluid. or lubricant OF
the joints; a fourth tested other secretions in
cluding exudations from the heart.
The first definite declaration Of discovery
was made in 1891, when Bonchard and Charrtn
believed that they had found in the joint fluid
a certain well known organism hitherto asso-
ciated with suppuratSon. This was the staphy-
lococcus pyogenes albus The presence of this
microbe in the joint would prove much.
sidere1 by itself: but in 1898 St. Germain sue
ceeded in producing Inflammation Of th-
joints by inocuIatng an animal with staphylo-
cOcci. OF course. i single instance would not
settle the question. but the experiment
highly suggestive. to say the least. Since that
time several other investigators have found mi
crobes in the blood secretions Sometimes
these organisms were identified as the aureus
or citrus" instead Of the "albus." but they
staphyiococcL Occasionally, however. another
microbe that is characteristic Of pus. a strepto-
coccus. was found
The latest Investigations which bear this
subject are those Of Poynton and Paine, and are
reported in The Lancet Of May f. 1901 The
Philadelphia Medical Journal summarizes them
J without comment These men assert that they
Isolated diplococci in sixteen cases. Cultures
were made OF organisms found in rheumatic
Hodules or swell!ngs. and We're injected into the
Veins of rabbits. In consequence. the little
creatures had pain in the joints and inAamma-
t!Jn Of the valves and covering Of the heart
The duid in their joints and some Of the brain
tissues revealed the presence Of the diplococci.
Poynton and Paine think that the nodules OF
rheumatism particularly characteristic
feature of that disease.
II viii be observed that the results Of this
latest inquiry differ from those previously ob-
taiue1. Streutococci look like chains Of beads
Of practically uniform size. StaphyIococci sug-
/ sest rOsaries. organism longer than the other
occurring every often in the series Dipo-
cocci usually half round objects. and come
in pairs. They sometimes look like the halves
| Of a pea. slightly separated. The pneumonia
germ is diplococcus. and is pointed on one side
/ like raisn seed. But there many cth-r
points Of difference besides those Of form. o.e
/ takes certain kind Of stain which iii not tI-
feet another. one must be cultivated in a rnauu-r
unlike that required by another. and SO on. H.t
the most important distinction, # course. is tat
between the effects produced ON the hum.u 81 81
/ TEN when the latter is Invaded The other char
| acterist az important only as means Jf
| Identification
! 1t appears. then. that Poynton and Paine DO
not attribute acute indammatory rheumatism %
the same organism as DO their predecessors
Further study is essential. therefore To ascrr-
| tain which of them is right. More experiments
are necessary To clear up several phases Of the
matter. The natural history Of the newly foucd
dplococcus should be fully worked out So as 10
dinerentate it distinctly from all other microbes
and if its responsibility for rheumatic fever
finally be established it will then be highly de-
sirable u try make antitoxin that Nil have
/ a curative power.
Meantime. ii should be noted that these re-
searches do not apply 20 muscular rheuma-
| tism." or 'myalgia," whose nature and cause
still remain mystery. AS yet, can say
I NOS ffir-aiN Z rha-