Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1908-05-01

to have forfeited the appearance Of
'mallpox. While this would have beer
wonderful, II true, the scientifically
sxact revelations of the modern micro
scope are scarcely less miraculous tc
the uninitiated. In the case Of the
Photographic wonder the negative
showed numerous spots upon the face
Of the subject which were not appar'
snt to the eye, and when smallpox, by
2 remarkable coincidence, developed q
Jew days later it was thought that the
instrument had glimpsed the future.
IN way the miscroscope enables man
TO look ahead. since. by its aid. he may
cneck devasting epidemics through the
detection, for instance, Of germs which
are polluting the water supply of a
community. According to some scien-
lists at the nations capital adulterated
foods are subjecting the race to danger
OF future deterioration, and in detect
Ing fraudulent tampering with food
stuffs the microscope is an invaluable
aid.
Wonderful as the present type OF
microscope has proved itself to be,
however, experiments are constantly
striving to perfect an instrument that
will look further into the unknown.
The ultramicroscope, as it is called,
marks the limit of present achieve
ment. 1t is interesting, though chiefly
as an augary of future results, be-
cause while giving a penetration
seventy-five times greater than any OBJ
tainable at present the objects un-
covered are but indistinct blurs. The
present type of instrument, however,
Is remarkably efficient, and of its many
services to mankind the greatest. OF
course. is in the field Of medicine. 1t
may safely be said that II the micro
scope and all that 1t means we're sud-
denly subtracted from the sum of
knowledge possessed by medical men
the death rate would rise threefold. In
the hospital laboratory 1t reigns su-
preme. In one big New York hospital
nearly thirteen thousand microscopic
examinations we're made last year. all
Of them as an essential part Of the care
Of its patients. The effect Of such
assistance Is to eliminate guesswork as
q diagnostic factor. The bacteriologist
has but two words in his vocabulary
when called upon to give the results Of
his Investigation Of specimens" They
are positive" and negative" In one
instance you have it, SO to speak; In
the other you have not The skill Of
the Oldest and most experienced prac-
titioner or the wisdom of the specialist
IL occasionally at fault in determining
Just what is the matter with patient,
but the microscope never. II 1t shows
In the sputum of person thought to
have tuberculosis detached bits resemb-
ling scattered hairs there Is no appeal
from the decree. and treatment should
begin at once.
The Method Of Cultures.
Most germs, contrary to general be-
lief, are not identified offhand even by
the microscope. but must be carefully
nurtured by means of cultures before
they can be proclaimed. The culture Is
made In large copper incubator and
is simply the production Of colony
of germs outside the human body, In
duCed by proper artificial environment.
Glass tubes are partly filed with q
mixture of beef serum and gelatine,
and the pathological material taken
from the body Of the patient-a drop of
blood perhaps-is smeared upon the
surface of the culture medium. In the
incubator a temperature Of blood heat
Is constantly maintained, and In this
grateful warmth the germs thrive and
multiply. The sudden breaking of the
supply Of such culture tubes always
to be found In the laboratory of med
ern hospital would nberate death In az
tangible form as though one were sud-
denly confronted with Q ferocious
beast with no means Of retreat at hand.
While the handling of germs offers
NO attraction to the iaymen. It Is both
fascinating and necessary where the
physician is concerned. II IL In the lab
oratory that the new physician or the
old doctor who obtained his training
before germs were quite 90 well known
NOT long ago at that-secures an es-
sential part of his ability to fight d.
sease. It IL here that he becomes
familiar with the peculiarities Of va
rious bacilli. The dipiococci Of pneu-
monia, as indicated by the name. are
found In pairs. Diphtheria germs pre-
sent a Characteristic appearance, re-
sembling a network of detached rods.
many Of them tied up In bowknot
form. Cholera germs are like crinkled
rods. and those which are responsible
for lockjaw resemble nothing SO much
as the everyday pin. So many germs
may be recognized at glance. Others,
however, lack distinctive characters
tics, being so nearly alike that when
indiscriminately mixed they cannot be
told apart. To recognize these what Is
known as the staining method Is en-
ployed. Coloring matter is applied to
the product of the culture tube, and
the results are such that the bacilli
can be classified. The coloring matter
produces a certain hue In the germ. or
perhaps it does not stain at all. Thus
positively or negatively as the color
acts the expert Is enabled to recognize
each deadly particle. A few diseases
there are which have not been fitted
out through experiment with particu-
lar germ. One of these Is smallpox.
One does not need to visit labor
atory to be In the presence Of germs,