The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-30
OCEANS MANY MICROBES.
Fatal Results of BriIIiancy i'm Sea
Life.
From the Lancet.

From the Lancet.
At no particular spot has the sea
been found to be free from organisms.
although those isolated and recognized
have proved to be harmless, consisting
of active motile rods and vibrios, cocci
being less numerous. As might be
expected, the number of organisms in
creases immensely as the shore is APP
preached. Thus about a mile from the
shore something like 1000 germs per
cubic centimeter have been found, and
this influence of the shore extends for
four or five miles. Some hundreds of
miles from land the number diminishes
to 500 and at greater distances to 200
or less.
OF course, the fact that algal vegeta-
tion is richest near the shore, providing
highly nourishing hunting ground
Tor the marine organism, accounts for
the myriads usually found there Sam
pies of sea water taken at some depth
below the surface proved to contain
only few bacteria per cubic cent?
meter. Thus at half mile below the
surface only from eight to twelve bac-
terra were present There is little
doubt that even should pathogenic or
ganlsms gain access to the sea, as
must be the case when sewers dis
charge raw sewage into it, their ac-
tlNity must sooner or later be destroyed
The sea is remarkable from a bac-
THEOLOGICAL point of view in contain
ing phosphorescent bacteria, and it IS
probable that some of these are dis
ease producing, so far, at any rate, as
regards certain aquatic animals. Thus
a bacterium has been successfully Gull
tiVated from the body of the luminous
taltrus which is both pathogenic and
luminous. This bacterium invades the
abdominal cavity of this aquatic ami
NAL and all its organs with a fatal
issue. During the presence Of the dis
ease the victim shines with d green
light, which is said to be visible nearly
dozen yards away and which persists
for some hours after the demise of the
animal. Ii is not improbable that the
luminosity of other marine animals
may be due to the invasion of this light
and disease producing organism.
The very beautiful phenomenon of
the phosphorescence of the sea is
caused by Dhotobacteria in part as
well as by a variety of low forms of
animal life. The eerie light is in no
way connected with the element phos-
Dhorous, as IS very commonly sup
posed. The cause of the phenomenon
is respiratory exchange or oxidation,
an aerobic function. Sea phosphor-
cSceHce u never Witnessed IN perfectly
smooth water. while the brilliancy of
the light when it is observed is always
greatest upon the crests of the waves
or where the water is in violent state
of agitation, as in the wake of a steam
err. It's occurrence. therefore, is evil
dence Of active oxidation. Could,
again, the sea be sterlized phosphor-
escence would cease.
The presence of highly combustible
matter increases the light. A very
simple experiment proves this. If the
flesh OF a fresh haddock or herring
be placed in a 3 per cent. salt solu-
ton and kept at a low temperature
from 40 to so degrees Fahrenheit) the
liquid will rapidly develop phosphor-
escence. which becomes quite brilliant
on adding little glycerine or sugar,
or what, in other words, is respirable
material. 1t is curious that in marine
life disease and death should be as
ISOLATED with luminous phenomena