The age-herald., 1901-08-27
SOMETHING OF THE LIFE
 OF DR. ROBERT KOCH

60tu B uA6COfCIg HAlll iBTNdIu aIQ how the farmers of today are beneftina from 1t.
 One ultimate result of this was that in 1880 Koch was called from his country practice to be the assistant of Prof Fink. lebury at the aristocratic university of Bonn. This is not the place to describe all his microscopical discoveries, but in 1882 came his next great triumph in locat- ing the tubercle bacillus. This meant revolution in our local ideas of phthisis, Up till then 1t had been thought that con- sumption of the lungs was due to a de- generation of tissue. It was regarded as being almost as hopeless for a consump- tive to recover as for a maimed man to recover lost limb. The consumptive was almost forbidden to marry. Koch swept away all this. He showed that consump- tion is not due to degeneration of tissue, but to attacks of an infective germ. From this the whole modern system of treating consumption has grown up. But much more has been done than this. It has been found that consumption of the lungs is only one side of disease which takes many forms, and which attacks different organs in different ways. The hitherto unsuspected relationship between lupus and consumption was proved
 In the following year the cholera came to Europe. Koch was now placed at the head of a commission by the German government to investigate it. First he went to the infected regions of eastern Europe, and then he went on to those parts of India where cholera is epedemlc. Month by month he closely studied 1t. In other words. he daily ran the risk of tha most horrible death. In tracking disease this quiet German has shown heroism and fearlessness greater by far than of the soldier on the battlefield. For the prospects ever before him in his re- searches has been, not swift death by chance bullet or sabre thrust, but lin- gering, torturing disease. The cholera bacillus was found, and the government Germany they hold doctor worthy of honor, and worthy of government sup port In England we give no government help even for the training of doctors.
 Dr. Koch was now professor in Ber- lin University and director of the Insti- tute of Hygiene in Berlin. Young scien- tific men from many lands fioclSed to him.; and here he entered into his experiments for anti-consumption serum. He aimed at obtaining fluid which would destroy the low form of tissue where bacilli thrive; first he carried out long experiments on animals, and then went on to human be- ings In lupus, which is perhaps tho simplest form of tuberculosis. the results were very satisfactory in mild. cases In consumption of the lungs things appeared at first to be going well, but when the experiments were carried out over a wider area, very doubtful developments came. But Dr. Koch has not -despaired. He has gone on improving and improving, and he believes that now his tuberculin can cure when cases are taken early. But he would be the first to admit that 1t is hopeless to expect to cure any really ad- vanced stages of the disease by injection. If you wish to stop consumption you must take it early. His most recent work has been his investigations of rinderpest in Cape Colony, and of bubonic plague in India and German East Africa Now comes his startling statements about the non-relation between consumption in ani- mals and human beings.
 I have said of the man personally little because there is really little to say. He gives up his days and nights to ceaseless toll. Practically he divides his time be- tween his own family hearth and his laboratory. He has one great amusement. mountaineering, and is perhaps never quite so happy as when he has alpenstock in hand. He looks the German he Is, and Germany may we'll be proud of her great son.
 their charge as a personal affront A Southern sheriff gave expression to this view some years ago when he replied to a mob that demanded his prisoner:
 This nigger may need hanging right away; I won't argue that point with you; but he's my nigger at present, and I'll see all of you in he'll before you shall touch him.
 As the officer was known to be able and willing to shoot as straight as he talked, it Is scarcely necessary to add that the lynching did not come off.
 The lynching never does come off when the officer in charge of the prisoner is of the right sort