The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-01-09
GAVE UP THEIR LIVES.
Noted Physicians Who Have Sacrf-
feed Themselves Upon the
Altar of Science

In the investigation of scientific
problems and in the search after the
hidden things in nature scientists
have shown that they do no more
shirk from personal injury or death
than does the soldier. Humanity has
profited by the discovery of many
secrets, though the discoveries sac
rificed their lives in the work of add
ing to the valuable knowledge of the
world. Physicians have braved GER
tain and sometimes most horrible
deaths that the nature of certain dis
eases might be better understood and
the profession enabled to more intel
aigently treat them. 1t can be truly
said that science no less than reli-
gion and patriotism has its roll of
martyrs, says the Chicago Chron-
icle.
One of these was DR.. Ellenberger,
who was willing to subject himself
to the danger of certain death to
prove his contention that he had dis
covered an infallible cure for NOR
phine poisoning. This was in 1851,
and prior to that time there was abb
solutely no known antidOte for this
poison. Ellenberger made an offer
to demonstrate the effectiveness of
his antidote before the celebrated
chemist and Psychologist, Orfila.
At this test Ellenberger took the
enormous dose of 25 grains of NOR
phine, enough to kill half a dozen
men. He Immediately swallowed his
antidote and experienced no bad re-
suits. He contended that the result
would be the same if 80 or 40 minutes
elapsed after taking the poison be-
fore the antidote was swallowed. In
spite of his belief in his discovery
Ellenberger afterward died from the
effects of a ten-grain dose of NOR
phine, he having allowed Is minutes
to elapse before taking the antidote.
The antidote of Ellenberger was an
alyzed after his death and found to
consist of magnesia and carbonate of
magnesia.
SO died DR.. Male, of Birmingham,
England who was Xperimenting
with aconite. He was DESTROYS to find
out what the effects would be of
small doses of the drug taken at diff
ferent times but continuously. He
found out, for after he had taken so
drops in ten doses in a period of four
days he suddenly dropped dead. This
proved that aconite is drug which
has a cumulativ effect. The system
will store it up until it has accumu-
lated enough to make toxic dose
and then the man dies.
Lyddite and the French melinite-
two powerful explosives of which
much is heard nowadays-have as the
basis of the composition picric acid.
For years picric acid was used in
the dyeing of cloths and people sus-
pected that it was explosive. They
stirred with a red-hot poker and
poured molten iron into watts of it
from a height, but the stuff absolute
" refused to go off. Then came along
one of those German scientists who
are not satisfied until they have
delved clear to the roots of thing.
He tried his hand at the question of
the eXplosiveness of picric acid and
solved the problem in a short time.
He took a vessel filled with the acid
to his laboratory and detonated
small piece of illuminate of mercury
in close proximity to it, His name was
Dietz and when they gathered up the
remnants of the solid stone labora-
tory which, with the fragments of
the experimenter, had been scattered
over large area of country, there
was no more discussion as to wheth-
err picric acid was explosive or not.
Thuilier, the French bacteriologist,
in order to study the action of the
cholera germ so successfully inocu-
lated himself with the deadly microbe
that he died. Before his death, how
ever, he had time to make some inn
portant discoveries as to the nature
and action of the microbe--in fact,
giving to the world the first reliable
data concerning the character and
habits of what has come to be known
as the coma bacillus of cholera"