Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-19

l. carefully propagat1nS the or
G,tnisns that produce in the human
system the most deadly and widespread dis
cases.
But this fact should not produce alarm. On
the contrary, visit to germ incubatlnS estab-
lishnent will convince any person OF the efforts
being made by scientists to combat the disease
pests of humanity.
Some of the most progressive and efficient
meteorological work in the country IS being
conducted in the laboratory of the medical de-
partment of the navy, located in the building
formerly occupied by the Naval Observatory IN
Washington. The result of the researches
made herein though intended primarily for the
benefit of Uncle Sans blue Jackets, has become
SO comprehensive and useful to local conditions
that Washington physicians have iound great
and increasing beneht theretrom Indeed,
prominent medical men throughout the coun-
try, including the Presidents private physician,
have awaited themselves of the services of the
experts who labor surrounded by the deadly
bacteria.
Visiting the Germ Incubator
TT is somewhat impressive and not at all
comfortable thought on entering the room
wherein the germ ovens. or incubators, as they
are called are kept that there are greater po-
tentalities for destroying human life here than
if the apartment filled with dynamite. In
the neat polished copper receptacleS are stored
glass tubes, and in the latter are the minute en-
emies to health. SO minute that billions of them
are contained in vial, quarter or an eighth
full of colored liquid
The doctor who shows you through the es-
Enlistment handles the walls of death with
much nonchaance though they contained
merely colored water He explains that there
are only two bottled diseases in the handling of
which the most extreme care and precaut1on
must be exercised These are bubonic plague
and CHAMBERS the former of which is so elusive
when once started in single individual that
the result of careless handling might mean
lot
ter if not SO contagious would mean certain
death by very lOathSome process. Among the
diseases here bottled up Asatic cholera, the
widespread sleeping sickness of Africa, tuber-
practically all the maladies that caused by
the Vaccinations of the tiny and mysterious
creatures known as bacteria
At present, researches are being made into
hitherto unknown conditions attending the
spread of typhoid fever. 1T is only now that
are beginning to realize says the doctor
the fact that great number of people, appar-
emily in very good health, are nevertheless po-
tent carriers of disease. | do not hesitate to
state, for example, that at least three per cent
of the people of this city carry in their mouths
a sufficient number of diphthera bacteria to
infect a very young child though they them
selves no longer visbly affected by the dis
ease 1t is only that we in this country
beginning to follow in the footsteps of bacteriol-
ogists in Europe in regard to the isolation of
these human disease carriers until the latter
are cured beyond the possibility of their infect
ing others.
Even to-day the conditions attending the
treatment of typhoid fever patients are fear
fully lax in this regard One of the doctors
here only few months ago traced more than
sixty cases of typhoid fever in the District of
Columbia to dairy in which of the hands
was released typhoid fever patient who, with
out showing outward and visible signs of the
disease, was nevertheless capable of conveying
it to Others. At present we experimenting
upon various cultures in which the presence of
thew are er;q;nalIv N such small Numbers a as to-
battle all methods of detection now in use"
1t may be explain. ii that the term culture"
is used to designate colony of bacteria in
of the tubes, the latter being filled with liquid
calculated to develop the tiny organisms in
various ways. The liquid itself is usually beef
tea or milk chemically treated in various ways,
though. for special purposes, various prepare
tions are used.