The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1908-01-31
Wine GOOD IN
TYPHOID fever.
Acidity of White Wines Has Been
Proven of AntiSeptic
Value.

The generating agent of typhoid
fever known as the Eberth bacillus, is
in most cases, introduced into the or
ganism in the drinking water. AS wine
is credited with an antiseptic action,
it was of interest from the point of
view of public health to determine in
the first place whether this reputation
could be justified as regards the ty-
phoid bacillus; in the second place
whether its action varied with the
different kinds of wine, and finally,
whether the microbicidal action of
wine was diminished in a sensible ma
ner by mixing drinking water with it.
The solution of the problem could b
the work of meteorological experts
alone. For this purpose IL has been
undertaken and successfully accom-
plished bv two Bordeaux savants, NM
Salrayes and Marcandior, who have
succeeded ill., proving that wines pre-
served for long time in bottles are
sterile. while those which are kept in
barrels, from which they are drawn
daily, cont-in bacteria.
On account of this general asepticity
wines kept for long time in bottles
may be considered fit for use by sur
geons in urgent cases in the absence Of
o her antiseptics. They have been
used for this purpose by certain coun-
try practitioners who have already fir
long time foreseen the sterility of
bottled wine.
AS far as typhoid fever is concerned,
experimentation seem to have demon
strated beyond doubt that pure wines
exercise a powerful -action on the
Eberth bacillus, but that this action
varies in intensity WIN the nature an
quality of the wines. White wines
proved themselves to be more active
than red wines, and among the white
wine champagnes occupy the first ranl
The acidity of these wines may be
considered as the preponderating anti
septic agent and its degree is the meas
ure of their antisepiic value; this is
proved by the fact that If by employ
ing an alkali the asci!iy is diminished
the resistance of the Eberth bacillus
remains so much'th greater when the
original degree of acidity has been
most diminished.
T he alcohol in the limit of eight 10
fifteen degrees has scarcely any influ-
ence on the bactericidal power of the
wine.
The addition of water to the wine,
which attenuates the proportion of all
the elements constituting the wine, has
the same effect upon its antiseptic
power: thus an ordinary red wine
which killed the Eberth bacillus in
two hours required four hours to pro-
duce the same result when diluted
with it's own volume of water. In the
same manner a champagne which
sterilized this microbe in ten minutes
had the same effect only at the end
of an hour and a half when doubled
in volume by the addition of water
The differences, however, are less
when the presence OF sulphur in the
wine has been perceptible. And apropos
of this, the Bordeaux savants desire
that the United States customs should
be more tolerant with regard 10 the
quanily of surphurous acid in the
sweet white wines of the Gironde dis
trict, the more SO since these wines
cannot acquire their exceptional quail
lilies without the action of this acid
Journal dc Medicine de Bordeaux.
When you want. the best, get De-
Wits Carbolized Witch Hazel Salve.
1t is good for little or big cuts, boils
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mended for piles. Sold by all drug
gists. m