Arizona republican., 1907-05-26
SCIENCE VICTORIOUS
OVER THE MAD DOG

Providence. May 19.--tSpecial Cor.
respondence OF The Republican,
Among the conquests over disease
which science has made In recent
Tines none Is more striking than that
which has reduced mortality i'm the
case Of hydrophobia from more than
80 per cent. down TO twenty five thou
sandfhs of one per cent of the victims
treated. This wonderful achievement
Is due largely to the preventive meth
Cd OF incubation discovered BY the
great Pasteur.
But Pasteur.s beneficent work stop
ped with the discovery of a preventive.
IL remained for Negri. an Italian scien-
tist, To discover the germ OF rabies or
hydrophobia. This second remarkable
step In the conquest OF the disease was
taken only three years ago. and since
then. particularly in this country.
considerable advance has been made in
the methods of diagnosis The very
latest. and up to date. the method re-
garded as most nearly infallible. was
devised last September i'm the biologi-
cal laboratory of Brown University
shortly after the outbreak OF the cpl
demic of rabies which has been raging
In the eastern part of Rhode Island
One common method OF diagnosis
that Is. OF discovering the presence OF
the rabies GERMS the microscopic ex-
animation of brain sections. But the
results OF this method. II was found.
were not always sufficiently conclusive
II was still possible that the germ
might no nN-ar1nnEaN c.
specialist. Philip b. Hadley. a gradu-
ate student working under the direc-
fion Of the head of the department.
Professor Albert d. Mead. whose orig
inal work along biological lines has
done so much to give Brown a high
reputation in the medical and scientific
world, adopted the "smear'' method.
which has been used so successfully by
the we'll known expert connected with
the board of health of New York CITY.
DIR. Anna w. Williams. The Brown
specialist did more than adopt the
smear" method. however; he I'M
proved upon II by an original method
OF making the smears and Of using the
stain. This stain plays the part OF
detective. II seeks the germs and so
colors them that they are unmistak-
able.
The methods of diagnosis used at
Brown. and which has been or invalu-
able assistance to the authorities who
have been fighting the epidemic In
and around Providence. begins with
the removal of the parts OF the brain
OF the suspected animal in which
germs make their residence. These
parts are the top of the brain. the base
scientifically known as Ammon's
Hern-the cortex of the cerebrum and
the back part or cerebellum. These
parts are placed upon little glass slides
three inches long and an inch wide
and are then "smeared" or spread thin
over the length and breadth OF the
slide so as TO reveal the contents in
detail. Afterward the slides are i'm
mersed in alcohol to Fix" or harden
the brain specimens. Then comes the
important stain treatment
1t is in respect to this staining that
the work at Brown has surpassed all
other methods of diagnosis In this par
ticular field. and given practical re-
suits which promise new benefits to
humanity. Mr.. Hadley uses a coal-tar
sldiu NHosc COnSlitutIll CoiOTS are a
brilliant carmine and an ultamarine
blue. When applied to the slide the
blue spreads itself through the brain
cells and other tissues while the car
mine seeks the rabies germs or Negri-
bodies. which lie within the nerve
cells. and stains these germs a bright
crimson There Is no escape for the
germ. 1t seems. II 1t Is present In the
brain cells. there it appears under the
microscope--a veritableH red danger
signal. ColOred thus. the effect is
rather pretty. for the rabies organisms
look like carbuncles set in sapphire.
Under the microscope, which magnifles
them from 1.200 to 1000 times their
actual size. the rabies germs appear
on the average about half as big as
dimes.
The epidemic which led dire
this Improvement in the methods OF
diagnosis began last August. 1t was
probably brought into Rhode Island
from Massachusetts by rabid dogs. In
all there have been. 1t is estimated.
more than 1000 cases of rabies and ny
dr ophobia. which fact makes this the
seyerest epidemic ever reported in the
United States. Upwards of 200 human
beings. have been bitten by dogs. but
OF all those treated by the Pasteur
method only one has died. and that.
apparently was a case in which COM
publications. set in. Altogether six per-
sons have died