Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-03
Keep 1t Out of the Circulation

THE poisoning of the body by the excreted
toxin of the multiplying cells. which is
simply plant food, occurs because it is removed
only in part by the digestive organs, the cir
culation that conveys it to the other ehmi-
mating organs being efficient for that purpose.
Could all of this toxin be removed as fast as it
is excreted, and not enter the circulation,
there would be no fever.
The termination of this process must be
either the death of the colony from exhaustion
of the food supply in the glands, or the ex-
haustion of the patient by the excess of toxins
that accumulate in the body. AS the activity
of the bacillus depends upon the food supplied,
the severity and length Of the fever varies
because the glands that furnish the food of the
typhoid bacillus are in a state of high health
others have brief and mild attack, because
the food supply is scant owing to slight inn
pairment of the integrity of the glands; but
with a considerable number in every epidemic
the food is ample to sustain the creation of an
immense colony of bacilli which destroys the
victim by an overdose of poison.
The final disposition of the typhoid bacii
after course of fever, was believed to be by
their elimination from the body through the
various organs devoted to the discharge of
waste products; but recent investigations have
proved that the typhoid bacillus may remain
in the body for long periods without apparently
affecting the health of the person, but when
communicated to another it will cause an at
tack of fever of the most virulent type. In one
instance an outbreak of typhoid fever was
traced to woman who had the fever upward
of fifty years ago. 1t was found that the excre
tions of her body contained immense quaint
ties of living typhoid bacilli. She was cook
by trade, and it was found on tracing her his
tory that wherever she had worked there had
been epidemics of typhoid, beginning at the
house where she was acting as a cook
A still more remarkable feature of the life
history of the typhoid bacillus has recently
heey, nada r,,,h1ic A tIrpbni1 wa
traced to a nurse who had attended cases of
typhoid fever, but had never suffered from an
attack of that disease, and yet was discharging
large quantities of the bacii These cases can
be explained only on the theory that these
Heterogeneous find some place, possibly, as
has been suggested in the gall bladder, where
they find food sufficient to keep them in an
active state of multiplication, but where the
conditions prevent the absorption of the toxins
they eXCrete
How far these curious incidents in the life of
the typhoid bacilli are common to other bacilli
is not known; but if it is true of other infec-
tious diseases, the fact will explain the origin
cur without any known exposure to the in
fiction
Aims to Destroy the Body
IN concluding this inquiry as to the nature of
infection and its effects on the body the fol-
lowing statement of biologist as to the bac-
terium seems justified: when it enters a
living body, it aims directly at the destruction
of the latter. 1t multipies rapidly tends to
scatter its broods throughout the tissues. and