The Washington times., 1903-04-28
GERM OF SMALLPOX
DISCOVERED At LAST
Honor Belongs to Dr.. COun-
Gilman, Of Harvard,

Dispatches received here from Boston
saying a Harvard college professor had
discovered the germ Of smallpox, for
which scientists have been searching
for twenty years, have aroused much
speculation and interest among the 10
cal medical men When interviewed to
day the majority of them declared the
discovery. was one Of the greatest of the
last half century. because it is now only
a matter of a short time before doctors
viii be able TO control smallpox with
the same ease they do other diseases
which were fifty years ago considered
fatal,
AccordiEE to the dispatches the man
who mace the discovery is one of the
/ best known medical men OF the New
England States, If not in The United
States. He is DR.. William c. Council
man, professor Of pathological anatomy
I in the Harvard Medical School He has
! been studying the subject for a score
of years, and doctors had come to con
/ slider him an authority on the dread dis
/ ease.
/ Dr.. Councilman's Reserve.
All the details Of the discovery were
not contained in the dispatches, how
! ever, and. therefore, the local physi-
clans could not discuss the matter with
much intelligence today. Dr. Council
man refused to make public all of the
/ details Of his discovery until this even
/ ing. when he viii lay them before the
/ Boston Medical Society. He is quoted
/ as saying it was his duty &c bring the
matter to the attention of the sciene
tific world before taking the Iaymen
/ into his confidence. He said. however.
the germ which causes the disease is a
form OF the protocol. the lowest form
of animal life It is highly contagious.
At the headquarters of the Marine
/ Hospital Service today it was said the
! surgeons had been investigating. when
the opportunity offered, along the same
| lines Dr. Councilman had followed. Sur
geon General Wyman said he had heard
nothing concerning the discovery made
| by Dr. Councilman, except through the
dispatches. and these lacked detail. IN
til he heard more ne could not discuss
the matter. Another surgeon, however,
said:
Must Await Full Report.
Until we receive full reports of the
matter we can hardly be expected 10 dis
cuss It. Just what Dr. Councilman has
done it is Impossible TO say today Any
statement coming from so eminent an
authority however, demands attention,
! ~ &c 81 .ba HIGHEST interest 10 medical
men"
Dr. Councilman. 1t was said. is one of
the leading Psychologists OF the country.
The theory which he has apparently fol-
lowed with success did not originate
with him. It was advanced by Dr.
| Pfeiner about ten years ago. It appears,
however. DR.. Councilman is the only
scientist who followed up the theory
| successfully
DIT. Woodward, the District Health
officer. said: 1T has been known for
some years that smallpox was a germ
disease: yet. until this discovery was
made. pathologists seemed unable to $50
late the germ. It seems strange the
/ cause of smallpox should be discovered
so late when We knew where TO look
for it Il was long ago demonstrated
there were germs in the pUstules. wheth-
er they were anywhere else or not Dr.
Councilman may possibly he found
them in the blood also II that is the
case his discovery will be of great ad-
vantage in diagnosing doubtful cases
However. all is speculation until we
hear definitely from Boston"