The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-09-03
AGE OF MICROBES.
SCIENTISTS TRYING TO iprnr,rv
THE RHEUMATISM MloRosr.
Prestat-Day Investigators Dc W. 4.
tribute .trute iufiammatory Rhsums-
tism % the same Organism a. Do The.
Predecessors 'NeWlyfoand Dipioeoecus.


tism % ihe same Organism a. Do rhs.s
Predecessors .NswIyFound Dspioe..c.
T,Ns IS the age Of microbes. The
dlseas. that has ne mierobe Ia wbicb
pafternity can Be traced IS not worthy
of the consideration Of the medical frs-
ternity. and people Of quality win ~
fuse 20 entertain It on arx eonsidera-
ton Physicians Of hlgh standing ~
clare that a good deai Of evidence that
rheumatic fever is an infections dis-
ease has accumulated within the last
ten years, and while that theory is NOT
yet 70 Be regarded as fully established
it has apparently gained some ground
even this very spring The PhnsdeI-
phia Medical Journal refers to it a.
"the more generally accepted view
to which the lactie acid and nervous
origin explanations have given place
10 some extent. One Of the reasons
for suspseting that this disorder might
be Infectious is that several cases win
often occur in the same house and IL
is peculiarly prevalent in large com
munities. Again, it has been asserted
that the mortality and frequency Of
rheumatic fever fuetuate in the same
way as those Of err sipelas and scarlet
fever Now infectious maladies are
all attributed to micro-organisms. and
as soon as suspicion was excited the
search began Tor bacteria which
should prove 10 be characteristic Of
the malady in question One expert
hunted in the blood. another directed
his attention 10 the tonsils; a third er-
amined the synovial fluid. or lubricant
OF the joints; a fourth tested other
secretions. Including exudations from
the heart The frst definite declara-
tion 81 a discovery was made ID 1891.
when Bonchard and Charm believed
that they had found in the Joint huid
a certain well known 0rganisn hitheg-
to associated with suppuration. This
was the staphylococcus pyogenes al
bus. The presence Of this microbe ID
the joint would not prove much. con
sidered BY itself. but 10 1898 ST. Ger
main succeeded IN producing an IN
fammati0n oi the joints by inoculat-
ing an animal with staphylococcl. OF
course. single instance would not
settle the question. but the experiment
was highly suggestive to say the least.
Since that time several other inrest-
gators have found microbes n the
blood or secretions Sometimes these
organisms were identified as the
aureus or citrus. Instead Of the
-albus but they were staphylococci
Occasionally, however. another mi
crobe that is characteristic OF pus
strepiococcus. was found. The latest
Investigations which bear on this sub
iect are those OF Poynton and Paine
and are reported IN the Lancet Of Nay
a. 1901. The Philadelphia Medical
Journal summarizes them without
comment These men assert that they
Isolated diplococcl IN sixteen cases
Cultures were made OF organisms
found In rheumatic nodules or SWELL
inss and we're injected into the veins
Of rabbits Ia consequence the little
creatures had pain III the joints and
Inflammation Of the valves and cor-
ering Of the heart The fluid In their
joints and some OF the brain tissues
revealed the presence Of the diplococgi
P0ynton and Paine think that the
nodules of rheumatism are parficu-
larly characteristic feature OF that dis
ease It will be observed that the re-
suits OF this latest inquiry differ from
those previously obtained. strepto-
cocci look like chains Of beads Of prac-,
tieaiiy uniform size. staphylococoi sug-
gest rosarles. one organism longer
than the other occurring every so
often ia the series. Diplococci are
usually half round objects and come
in pairs They sometimes look Ike
the halves Of pea. slightly separated.
The pneumonia germ rs diplococcus
and ls pointed on one side Ike a raisln
seed But there are many other points
OF difference besides those OF form.
One takes a certain kind Of stain which
viii not affect another One must be
cultivated In manner unlike that re-
quired by another and so on. But the
most important distinction. Of course
Is that between the effects produced
On the human system when the latter
IS invaded The other characteriatics
are important only az means OF identi-
hration. u appears then. that Poyn-
ton and Paine DO not attribute acute
infammatory rheumatism 20 the same
organism as 90 their predecessors
Further study is essential. therefore
10 ascertain which Of them is right
More experiments are necessary to
clear up several phases Of the matter
The natural history Of the newly
found dipiococcus should be fully
worked ont. SO as 10 dinerenfiste 81
distinctly from all other microbes. and
if its responsibility for rheumatic fever
finally be- established it win then be
highly desirable 90 try to make al
antitoxin that win have a curative