The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1902-06-21
pEcULIARlr1Es OF MICROBES


curious things about the deadly mi
erode. The latest discovery is prob
ably the most curious of all. 1t is this:
The microbe has very fastidious
tastes, and never selects . victim with
out first ascertaining as much as pos
sible about his or her age, disposition,
characteristics and general appear
ance even down to the color of the
clothes worn, says medical author
ity.
The influenza microbe doesn't like
children at all. He prefers adults, and
particularly prominent men who live
well, eat well and sleep well.
The measles microbe is very particu-
lar. He will have children and soldiers
or nothing. Very few children escape
him. But very rarely does he attack
an adult in lay attire Don bright
blue military uniform, or, better still,
. brilliant red coat, and you are pref
ty sure to have an early visit.
Some years ago, when Paraguay
fought Brazil, about one-ffth of its
forces were dispatched by this little
warrior. One of his .most mex
plicable peculiarities is that he pre-
| fers the basement of house to the
upper stories. On the ground floor he
does one and half times as much
execution as upstairs. This is not
| question of hygienic condition, for the
scarlatina microbe kills Is per cent.
more people upstairs than on the
ground floor. The measles microbe
likes poor people best.
On the other hand. the scarlatins
microbc prefers to go in for the rich,
If he has the opportunity. He does
not like colored people at all. There
has never been an epidemic of scarIa-
tina in Asia or Africa.
The diphtheria microbe likes his
victims young. Three years to II is the
age he prefers; but sometimes his
/ taste runs up to Is and 20 or more
years. He prefers girls to boys, and
poor children to rich He does not
seem to possess any color sense. for
he tours all over the world, and q
| Chinese or japanese, a Syrian, q
Turk, a Persian or South African
is as welcome to him as an Ameri-
can, Englishman or Frenchman.
The consumption microbe has very
wide tastes. There are only few
| portions of the earth which he avoids
such as Iceland. Shetland. the He
brides and the Farce islands. But
he likes some people better than
T.. h.
man. for instance, he considers nicer
fare than an Englishman or Scotch
man. At Gibraltar. on one occasion,
/ this microbe killed six coiored sol
iiers to one white.
The tetanus, or lockjaw, microbe
greatly prefers colored people to
white. His home is in the earth, and
he seldom comes ont of it. When he
does. if there is colored man about
he will attack him.
In this country $50 colored people
are killed by tetanus to every white.
This terrible little microbe is very
fond of East Indians. He likes men
best, but is not at all particular as
to age.
Microbes are well up in geography.
and know where they are best on.
The yellow-fever germ, for instance,
generally resides around the Gulf Of
Mexico, and when he chances to roam
elsewhere he is sorry. The cholera
and plague microbes stay in the east.
Other parts of the earth don't agree
with their health. The diphtheria
microbe prefers London and New
York to any other place. and the
consumption microbe likes Vienna
best of all.
Then, again, they have very various
and decided tastes as regards differ
emit kinds Of animals. The typhoid
fever microbe is very fond of young
men and women-especialIy men;
but he turns up his nose at the low
er animals. The CHAMBERS bacillus il
best pleased with horses, but he also
likes man, lions and tigers; while he
abhors a mouse and won't touch him
under any circumstances.
| A little being with the big name
micrococcus perniciosus feeds only
on gray parrots, killing four out Of
every five. There is another tiny
mite so particular that, while he
finds rare feast in white mouse
he will die rather than take bite
out of gray mouse.