New-York tribune., 1908-02-15
USEFUL MICROSCOPE.
IT'S Revelations in the Hands OF
Phusicians.

vonderful If true, the scientifically exact reVeia
tiers of the modern microscope are scSioeiE 80
,,a,-arrlous TO the uninitiated In the case Oh "S
rho.or-arhic wonder the negative shoReu h"i'ei
- ots amor, the face of the subject which were
not arnarenf TO the eye. and when smallpox bN F."
remarkable coincidence. developed a Few oaHs ia'el
II was thought that the instrument mao sli'ip7e
-rs f4,t,,re in way the microscope enapies man
:. 80 ahead since by it's aid. he may check
sex,s,ating epidemics through the detecuon' lo3
instance Of germs which are pollunhe INC wa"
s,-nlx of community According 10 some SCI
,-sts a, the nations capital adulterated fooos are
,s.f-,- $40 race 10 danger Of future deteriora-
- sna in detecting fraudulent tampering WIN
foodstuffs the microscope is an invaluable aio-
wonderful as the present type of microscope mas
,,-o,,ea itself TO be. however, ezperimenters are
constantly striving perfect an instrument 'h0'
,-sfI look further into the unknown. The uitram-
rosoope as is called. marks the limit OF present
achievement. 1t is interesting though chlenN a.
a., anp,,rv of future results. while giving
nenefration' seventy-five times greater 'h'i'l any
obtafnabie at present the objects uncovered are
f,u. indistinct hlurs. The present type of lnsuu-
rnent however is remarkably efficient ana OF ii7
many services to mankind the greatest OF course,
is in the field Of medicine 1t may safely be said
that If the microscope and all that ii means Were
suddenly suhtracted from the sum of knowledge
possessed by medical men the death rate "oui"
rise threefod. In the hospital laboratory II resH9
supreme. In big New York hospial he4tls
thirteen thousand microscopic examinations were
made last year. all of them an essential part oi
the care Of its patients. The effect Of such ASSIST
ence is eliminate guesswoTk as a diagnoslc ldc-
tor The bacterioloaist mas but two words IN ms
vocabulary when called upon give the results OF
his Investigation of specimens They are posi-
tive and negative In one instance you nave IL.
so 10 speak: in the other you have not Inc shiii
Of the oldest end most experienced practitioner OF
the wisdom Of the specialist is occasionally at faut
in determining Just what is the matter with pa
tent but the microscope never If it shows in the
sputurn Of a person thought have tuberculosis
detached bits resembling scattered hairs there
IS appeal from the decree and treatment shouio
begin al once
THE METHOD OF CULTURES
Most germs. contrary TO general belief are not
identified offhand by the microscope. but
rllls7 be carefully rurtured by of cultures
before they can be proclaimed The culture ls
made in large copper incubator and is Simply
the production of colony Of germs outside the
human body. induced by proper artificial environ
rnent Glass tubes are partly filed with mixture
81 beef and selatine and the pathological
material taken from the body OF the pauent-a
drop Of blood perhaps-is sn'eared upon the sur
face OF the culture medium. In the incubator
7en5pera41Ire of blood heat is constantly MAIN
1sined and in this grateful warmth the germs
thrive snd multiply The sudden breaking a Inc
supply Of such culture tubes always to be fodnu
IN the laboratory of q modern hospital would lib
crate death in as tangible form though
suddenly confronted with ferocious beast
with means OF retreat at hand.
While The handling Of germs offers no attraction
"a the aynlell il is both fascinating and necessary
where the physician is concerned 1t is in the lab
oratory that the physician or the old doctor
sho obtained his training before germs were quite
go well kRexn-not long ago al that-secures an
essential part Of his ability fight disease. 1t is
here that familiar with the pecularities
various haciIli. The diplocoCci of pneumonia. IS
indicated by the name. are found in pairs Diph-
liberia germs present characteristic appearance.
resembling network of detached rods. many OF
them tied up in boyVknot form Cholera germs are
like crinked rods, and those which are responsi-
bic for iockjaw resemble nothing much as the
everyday pin So many germs may be recognized at
q glance. Others. however. lack distinctive charac-
7eris4ics being nearly alike that when udiscTim-
inately mixed they cannot he told apart To recog-
rize these what is known the staining method Is
employed ColOrinG matter is applied TO the product
Of the culture tube and the results such that the
baciln he classified The coorng matter pro
duoes certain hue in the germ. perhaps it does
not stain at all. Thus positively negatively as
the color acts the expert is enabled to recognize
each deadly nartcle. 4 few diseases there
which have not been fitted out through experiment
with pa rticular germ. One Of these is smallpox
One Goes not need visit laboratory to be
IN the presence of germs however. as most OF
us know Besides having polyglot human popu-
lation New York has equally diverse germ col
ony According a bacteriologist attached 10 one
,f The big hospitals d culture plate exposed to
the metropolitan atmosphere would soon hold al
most every germ common TO this part of the WorIc
When food IS NnCSed Tor SAFE III tne open All as
s is upon the Eas side the collection is complete
after few If YOU buy figs. for instance
from pushcart street stand. the all-serm COM
bnation is what you get. Placed Immediately un-
Ger microscope however, few Of the germs could
be cstected Bst Il allowed soak the required
length O. sterile culture medium an en-
suing period the laboratory incubator would de-
n velop the concealed population dozen kinds Of
" death dealing baCilli-
UncleanIy streets breed sil manner of germs, and
the air of crowded, poorly ventilated is super
charged. The straphanscr Erasps in his palm or
stands upon countless millions. In short, germs
ere os1n present thckest where civilization is most
sderse and that are alive q all is due the
fact that under ordinary circumstances these
baCi may be breatled and eaten with compara-
1iKely little .isk. The white coTpUscles and healthy
tissues the body the effect of disease
germs. The microscope reveals warfare between
blood corpuscles when disease germs
through an abrasion Of the skin which is similar
that occurring when they enter in other ways
= pin prick is the signal for the battle sometimes
The germs attempt 10 enter the blood. The nearest
white corpEscle seizes the nearest germ. and the
TWO fight the death The germ Usually wins
but the victory is short lived. since millions of
other corpusclcs take up the fray and reinforce
meats arrive until the danger is the
scratch closed. II is only when the bodily forces
are depleted or when virUlent germs find access in
Overwhelming numbers that disease results. 1t is
Judgment 10 what manner Of germ it is. when it
adopt