New-York tribune., 1910-12-25
.Recen1 Fascinating DkscoDerieS in Cell
ssa GrosOfb Viii Probably Lead 10 En-
1freIp NetO Methods of Cure

2 "breaking up a fever simply means stop
ping the war in which invading microbes
are getting exterminated. Preventing q
fit of vomiting is the equivalent of has
! teDing the introduction into the bowels
and the blood Of a deadly poison. Allay-
| ing pain without having ascertained the
danger ft reveals is as Irrational an act
as would be the blowing out Of every sig
nal light along A railroad line.
In other words, the greatest discovery
of modern medicine is that the body is its
own doctor and its own drug shop, and
should be as much possible left to it's
own devices and allowed to work out its
own processes. At the same time those
processes can be accelerated by scientific
means. But it is perfectly idle to seek
TO replace natural processes by artificial
ones Our pharmacopoeia does not supply
any product that can be substituted for
the antitoxins manufactured by our own
cells
diseased body can be likened TO for
tined town attacked on one side 0ocal
cisease) or beleaguered constitutions
cisease) by hostile troops. The militia ia
sent out TO repulse them, while the guns
CT the surrounding forts rain on the on
emy shot and shrapnel. While the fight
lasts the temperature of the attacking and
REFUSING armies rises, a generally fever
ish condition prevails and local disturb
ances are observed here and there
ms Is a picture Of what happens in the
human body when an invading army of
microbes attempts to storm the citadel of
Hle Inc denizens of the body or red
corpuscies of the blood call to their help
their militia, the white eorpuscles. whose
&c
ISM
The leucocytes, as the white corpuscles
are scientifically termed. are in the proper
ton of one to four hundred red corpuscles;
they are larger in size as BELTS fighters
and instead of merely floating in and on
with the blood ebb and tide, they have in
dependent motions of their own. can
writhe and twist contract and dilate
They pounce upon the invaders eat them
up or imprisen them. The toxins or poisons
poured out by the invading microbes are
antidoted or neutralized by antitoxins. the
bullets and shells from the besieged city
The sirnile holds good TO the end as vol
leys fired by antitoxin guns are much more
effective than duels between leucocytes and
microbes or the capturing Of microbe regi-
ments by detachments of leucocvtes
Therefore modern physicians decided that
the best way in which they could proffer
assistance 10 Bodyville attacked by the
microDian army was not to supply a few
more 1eucocytes nor to build fortTesses
wherein to keep prisoners of war but to
send trainloads of ordinance and ammuni-
ton, that is, to increase the supply of anti
toxin.
Theoretically, the most direct way of
operating would have been TO take anti |
toxin out of the blood of a human being |
or of an animal in convalescence
Whenever antitoxin could be secured il |
gave admirable results; for instance in the |
treatment of diphtheria. In the majority |
Of diseases. however, antitoxin was I'M
available, as the quantity produced in the |
body was barely large enough to effect the !
cure and bring about recovery.
Therefore, the scientists went at it in a |
roundabout way. TO revert TO our old
simile: insignificant attacks against a |
strong city by a handful of pirates would
infiict no appreciable harm, but would keep
the militia under arms and the magazines
stocked with unusual quantities of ammuni-