The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-12-28
The Research Work.

O.-, anu dll ObhCAos To-
The Research Work.
Concerning the research work being
carried on, the report says:
"Until the new hospital and 1abora.
tory are finished and can take in the
selected cases which viii form the
chief part of the material for expert
ment in the search for a cure for lep-
rosy, systematic work in this direction
is obviously carried on under Difficult
ties. Even with the whole Eplant' in
operation, it would be unreasonable to
expect definite results at first, for lep-
rosy has for the most part completely
baffled research. The germ of the
disease is apparently identified in the
Bacillus Leprae, discovered by Hansen
of Norway in 1874. The germ closely
resembles in size, shape and manner
of taking stains. the bacillus of tuber-
culosis. A further general similarity
is found in the resemblance between
the nodules in nodular leprOsy and the
tubercules of tuberculosis. In both
cases the germs cause an accumula-
ton of pathogenic growth in the It's
sues, and these growths finally break
down and liberate the innumerable
germs they contain.
FBut beyond the identity of the
leprosy bacillus very little is known
The method by which the disease is
transmitted is vet to be found. Infec-
tiOn by incubation has never been
proved, the one possible Hawaiian in
stance Of this kind being explainable
as an infection by the ordinary means.
1t is not known where the germ orig
mates. and the supreme difficulty of
the whole task appears in the fact
that so far no medium has been found
on which the germ can be artifcially
grown. A satisfactory culture medium
is the first step to be taken, but al
though work in this direction is al
ready under way, no definite an
nouncement of the experiments and
the results can yet be made.''
One of the investigations that DR..
BrinckerhOff reports on was a trial of
the "percutaneous' tuberculin test to
determine whether this test was useful
IN distinguishing cases of leprOsy from
cases of tuberculosis. Tuberculin. as
is we'll known, is the most important
chemical substance formed by the tu-
berculOsis germ.
The tests were, however, ineonclu-
sive. yet DR.. BrinckerhOff sees in the
results indication of the close relation
which exists between the chemical
products of the leprOsy and tubercu-
losis bacilli, and suggests that tuber
culin may well be given a new trial in
\ nrative treatment of leprosy.
Doubts the Mosquito Theory.
DR.. Brinckerhoff discusses the the
Ory of the transmission of the disease
through the agency of mosquitoes in a
doubtful way, advancing some argu-
ments why such a theory is untenable
The two WAYS in which the mosquitoes
might act as a carrier of leprosy in
lection would be comparable with the
conditions in the transmission of ma
laria by the mosquito. and of plague
by the flea. The malaria parallel
would require that the mosquito draw
the lepra bacilli into its stomach. and
that the bacill should then migrate
through the stomach wall and pass
into the salivary gland. from which,
when the insect bites. the germs could
be implanted in the human host. This
is improbable, however, as the repra
bacillus possesses no power of motion.
like the malaria organism. The fact
that the latter is also an animal para.
site with a peculiar cycle of develop-
ment including a migratory stage. still
further destroys the parallel.
On the second hypothesis. it need
only be supposed that the mosquito