The Philipsburg mail., 1901-01-11
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HANDLING DISEASE GERMS.


Millions of ravaging disease germs
are fostered and fed in the bacteriolo-
gical laboratory which is owned by the
Boston board of health. There are all
kinds of bacilli, from the bubonic
plague specimen which has the power
to eXtilguish human life in the short
period of a few days, to the dull, half
dead mites that require years and
years Of frequent, even continuous, at
tacks in order to deprive man of the
pleasures of life. There are descend
ants OF germs who did their last deadly
work IN some remote part of China or
lndla germs which have caused much
sorrow in the very heart of this city
gnaWed off the heaviest bonds or
friendship and brought poverty into
families that were comfortable and in
dependent. Maybe there are microbes
that have trave ed the country over in
futile quest Of victims, or assailed the
living as we'll as the dead on the
mysterious bottom of the sea, because
this great collection is gathered at diff
ferent times from mineral as we'll as
organic matter. 1t is an army that
could produce an awful calamity We're
1t set at liberty and given proper d.
rection toward that end. There are
people in Boston who fear this army
to such an extent that they actually
lose sight of the effectiveness of the
method whereby it is kept and cared
for and they even allow this unwar-
ranted fear to interfere with business
prospects,, says the Boston Transcript.
Here is an example: The laboratory
is located in the Sudbury building on
Sudbury street. It's quarters being
somewhat unsatisfactory for the work,
the board of health sought premises
nearer the center of the city and final-
ly obtained an option on suitable
rooms. Preparations We're made for
new location, but at the last moment
the owner of the building changed his
mind in accordance with his ground
less fears, and the laboratory had to
remain in the Sudbury building. Pos
slbly it will be taken into the old
been renovated and enlarged.
1t may be useful, therefore, to look
into the bacterial camp, the scientific
prison of so many enemies of life and
happiness. Death turks in every cor
ner like feasting parasite, without
hope and without desire to escape, ev-
erywhere watched by the bacteriolo-
giets, who handle it with calm and
authority. Under the conditions there
is absolutely nothing to fear, as the
good health of the doctors and attend
ants will attest
Every little group Of germs kept in
stock lies imprisoned in a glass tube,
drenched in serum or agar, which,
while it feeds the microscopic organ
ism, also prevents its escape even If
the stopper were removed from the
mouth of the tube, and each tube is
sealed with para1fin. No germs can
rise from the media and sail in the
air. They rise only when they are
dry, and they are never dry except
when the bacteriologists dry them on
glass slide over a hot fire. which
Kills them. All the material which is
used in the researches is destroyed by
fire as soon as the experiments are
completed, excepting the glass recep-
tacles and instruments, which can be
cleansed by chemical solutions. AMI
mails injected with the more danger
Gus germs are not kept in open iron
cages during the incubation period;
they are put into glass bowls and
excluded from all chances of coming
into contact with anything which
might transfer the disease. Summin;
the story up in few words, the Labor
atory is as safe to health as any office
or dwelling house.