The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-05-06
CAUSE OF SMALLPOX.
The Germ an Animal Rather
Than a Plant.
FAMOUs PATHoLOaIsrsDIsOOVERY

Details of Or. william II. Council
mans Interesting Researebes-Life
History of the Parasite. which Is
Closely Allied TO the Ameba-Hov
spores Disseminate the Disease.
At a meeting held the other night of
the Boston Society For the Medical
Sciences DIR. William 7. Councilman,
shattuck professor Of pathological
anatomy in the Harvard Medical school,
made a preliminary report on his re-
cent discoveries as to the cause Of
smallpox, says the Boston correspond
ent of the New York Post. The work
/ On which these deductions are based
has been in progress for about two
years, the evolution of the complete
hypothesis being gradual
Attention Of histologists has long
been drawn to certain bodies within
the cells Of the epidermis In smallpox
separate from the nucleus, but taking
nuclear stains. The early theories that
! these so called "cell incusions" or
smallpox bodies were protocol and the
cause of the disease found little Gre
denee and were soon generally aban-
doned, the prevailing opinion being
that they We're merely forms Of degen-
Grated protoplasm. 1t is these bodies,
however, that DR.. Councilman has now
proved to be really protocol Of low
order and undoubtedly responsible for
the disease. They are not bacteria,
being animals instead of plants and
allied to the am9b@.
The complete life cycle of the para
site has been worked out without break
In the chain by means of long series
Of microscopic sections. There are two
stages in the cycle, as is usual with
protocol. one asexual and the other
probably sexual, though this latter
point requires still further confrma-
ton. The first stage takes place per
fectly definitely in the protoplasm Of the
epidermal cell, the second within the
nucleus itself. 1t is the first form
which is the smallpox body" the sec
ond, or the intranuclear form, having
been previously overlooked, apparently.
/ The stages agree perfectly with the
stages OF the disease, a cursory exami-
nation Of a given specimen enabling an
4 exact prediction as to the forms which
I will be found on minute inspection.
! The whole duration of both cycles,
/ however, is a matter of only a few
\ days, occurring early in the disease,
u ,,,gq Ella ,sera s.;Fos, l,oftese fu 4bo erowo
stage before the usual time Of death
from smallpox, when the pathologist
( obtains his material. This accounts
for the fact that the organism has been
sought for through 50 many years with
out success.
The earliest appearance microscopic
ally Of the protozoan is as d small ho-
mogeneous dot within the protoplasm
of the CELL This body gradually grows,
/ without much effect upon its cell host.
and at the same time becomes quite
/ granular 1t at length becomes as
large as the nucleus itself, or even
/ larger, and is quite typieally ammboid
in shape 1t finally grows very coarse
" granular and then breaks up into
many small dots or rings, exactly re-
sembling the earliest form above. This
\ ends the first stage Of the life cycle.
Each Of these small bodies is now
able TO reinfect neighboring cell and
repeat this SINE cycle, or it can infect
the cell nucleus and begin on the sec
ond cycle. lit has been found that in
( the rabbit or the cow only the first
cycle takes place, no forms in the sec
ond stage having been found in these
animals after repeated search This is
thought to mean that this first stage,
hunaccompanied by the second, repre-
sents the disease vaccinia, or cowpox
the COW and the rabbit not being sus-
! ceptible to true smallpox. In the mon
key, however, which does have true
! smallpox. and of course in man, the
4 second stage is found.
This IS first seen as a very small ring
within the nucleus of the epidernal
cell This ring grows, becoming mean
while vacuoIated or spongy looking.
| until ii comes to fill up the nucleus and
finally destroys 1t, then floating free in
| AtlE uEEHHtI0tl0E LlosHEH. Ills AUA IA
when full grown is of considerable
size, about twice the diameter of red
blood corpuscle. 1t is now that sex
uai process is believed to take place.
When ripe the protozoan Is seen to be
composed Of a large number Of small
rings like the first form seen within
the nucleus, and these finally separate.
They are believed to be spores. existing
in hardy resting stage, and are con-
tanned In the ripe smallpox pustules tn
countless numbers. When the scab
dries and comes off these spores are
admirably adapted to disseminate the
disease by being carried everywhere.
1t has repeatedly been observed that
smallpox infection can be carried to
considerable distances by the wind
alone, and this offers satisfactory
explanation Of the fact.
At the conclusion Of his remarks DR..
Councilman showed a series Of fifty on
more very remarkable lantern slides
taken from photomicrographs Of the
specimens upon which the work has
been DONE In these the cells were seen
to be full of these parasites in every
stage described and shown in perfectly