The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1903-04-03

fatal not because 1t is dirt, but be-
cause it contains living germ which
are the cause of putretaction in
wounds. The development of the
germ theory of contagious diseases
came still later. It was suspected
long before it was established and
not until it was established did it
influence medical practice and form
the basis of those systematic sanitary
precautions which in our time have
done 80 much to decrease the death
rate in large cities.
It was the Investigations of
Pasteur in 1865 to determine the
cause Of the plague among. French
silkworms, that led to the discovery
that many diseases are the result of
minute parasitic growths. In. 1853
the silk culture of France yielded
revenue of 100, 600, 900 francs. The
weight Of the cocoons produced in
that year was $4,000, 1000 pounds.
A silkworm moth deposits in a
SINCE season 800 to 1000 eggs; yet in
1865 the production of cocoons bad
fallen to 100000, and the loss en-
tailed upon France by the decline
amounted to- 10O,OOO,O 900 francs q
year. The government paid 800, 900,
francs for the use of an alleged in
fallible remedy which was
found to be abolutely worthless
Pasterr. brought microscopy and
chemistry to bear upon an investi-
cation of the plague, and after three
years of hard. work placed the
germ theory upon a foundation
which has since remained mistaken.
Koch and a dozen other scientific
investigators have carried his
methods of exploration into other
fields with marvellous results.
Bacteriology is now branch of
science with an extensive literature
of it own, and with an important
bearing upon various industries as
we'll as upon the theory and practice
of medicine. It has marvelously
increased the power of the physician
to cope with disease and has given
rise to preventive precautions Of
incalculable benefit to the human
race. The discovery that malaria
and yellow fever can be averted by
exterminating the anopheles mos
quito, one Of the latest contributions
of psychological science to human
progress; the discovery of the nature
of scarlet fever and diptheria and
of anti~toxic remedies which remove
heir poisons from the system, and
the discovery that consumption: is
not as was formerly supposed, a
hereditary malady, but a COM
municable disease a cure for which
may be discoverable. place the pro-
fession of medicine upon a new
plane and have naturally made
profound impression upon the
imaginations of thoughtful men.
But it is sad when increase of
knowledge leads to a decrease of
joy. The universe need not possess
new terrors for the practical man
because there are microbes in it as
well az men. The microbes have
been here all along. The man of the
present is better prepared to cope
with them than we're his FORE
fathers. Cheerfulness promotes
bodily vigor and in a vigorous con-
dit:on the human system is generally
armored against the microbes
assaults.
That Southern Legislature whose
members are considering the
abolition by law of the pleasant
practice Of kissing, because there
are microbes in the mouth and
disease has been known to be con-
veyed by kiss, are going too far.
The German Emperor also seems
to be proceeding to extremes. Re
call the sturdy figure by his favorite
Danish hounds. He lived to a good
old age, and his canine companions
the joy OF his life. Fancy
how he would have snorted at the
notion of banishing those dumb
fir lends for fear they might be the
means of injecting him with disease.
There have been instances in which
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