Durango semi-weekly herald., 1903-04-30
CAUSE OF SMALLPOX.
DR.. w. T. Councilman Of Boston Dis
covers Origin of Dread Disease.

BOSTON. Mass, April 29.-The
most important medical discovery ever
made in Boston and one of the most
important in the history of medicine.
was announced last evening at meet
ing of doctors at the Harvard Medical
school. DIR. William T. Councilman OF
Harvard announced that he has dis
covered the cause of smallpox, or the
specific germ. DR. Councilman as
serted he has not found cure for the
disease, but his discovery will no
doubt lead to the finding OF specific
remedy, or at least a preventive, as
has been the case in other diseases.
DR.. Councilman calls the cause of
the disease of smallpox protoZoa, and
it is the organism which produces the
contagion. BY the few physicians OF
Boston who have been informed of Dr.
Councilmans discovery it is regarded
as of the greatest importance since
the discoveries of Pasteur. for it opens
a field of new Investigations of wide
range and certain enlargement.
After explaining that protozoa diff
fers from a bacillus in that the latter
is vegetable organism. while the
former belongs to the animal Kingdom
DR.. Councilman was led into his inves-
legations by the smallpox epidemic cpl
demic in Boston two years ago, when
there were hundreds of cases and
scores of deaths
This epidemic gave DR.. Councilman
splendid opportunity for investiga-
ton by furnishing plenty of subjects
to study. He obtained pieces of the
skin of various persons afflicted with
the disease in its various stages
These numerous specimens with other
exhibits secured, We're examined under
the microscope.
This was a labor of months, for to
detect the organism responsible for
the disease they must find one that
was present in every case of smallpox.
After DR.. Councilman and his assist
ants had satisfied themselves as to the
character of the organism they had de
tected, the task was far from accom-
plished. They next undertook to prove
that their protozoa would produce
smallpox.
Ills llty ulu ny luOCuIdllHS
animals as are known to be suscepti-
BILE to the disease and the result was
4 complete substantiation OF their
theory as to the cause or smallpox.
The manifestations We're so positive
that all who have been told of the re
suits of the experiments assured DR.
Councilmen that it was impossible that
any error had been made in reaching
lis conclusions.
Besides settling the exact cause of
smallpox the immediate value of DIR.
Councilman discovery lies in the fact
hat it will lead inevitably to the dis
,overy of the cause of other diseases
the chief manifestation of which is in
the skin.
Infectious diseases run in groups
and when the cause of one is found
it generally leads to the origin of the
others.
If this rule operates with the discov
| cry of the smallpox protozoa investlga
| ton along the line of DR.. Councilman
| may be expected to reveal definite in
| formation concerning the causes OF
| scarlet fever, chicken-poX and measles
which now are unknown.
| DR.. Councilman is about As years
old and is already well known in his
profession through his treaties on pa
| thology subjects. He is Shattuck pro
| fessor of pathological anatomy in the
| Harvard Medical school in Boston.