The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-04-27

SolSAS30
impossible to isolate and cultivate
a serum. Now the experiment has
been carried to it's full limit and the
remedy ought soon to be in sight.
Drs. Duval and Couret experiment.
ed with fish. mainly goldfish. They
found that the germ rapidly spread
among them and the fish showed no
bad effects, and swan as comfortably
as their brethren. Isolating the germ
they found it very long living, and
through their discoveries learned the
manner in which the malady spreads.
The habitat Of the germ is not the
human body; that is, the disease
does not originate in man and is not
hereditary, as has often been believ-
ed. The human body is not we'll
adapted to it and the germ multiplies
very slowly in It; in other words the
disease is not easily communicated to
man as is generally believed.
Most animals are safe from It,, and
this fact causes the Investigators a
great deal of trouble. Guinea pigs
and rabbits, the usual standbys of
this kind, were found to be immune.
The leprosy germs In them died the
moment after injecting and left no in
lection. Experiments with monkeys
and mice proved more successful. In
man the progress of the disease is
very slow indeed, but In fish very
rapid.
The conclusion reached was that
the original habitat Of the disease
was fish and that it was communicate
ed originally to man by eating in
fected fish. With the isolation OF the
germ it was possible to carry the
experiments much further. The germ
resembles the bacillus Of tuberculosis,
being about the same size and same
general shape and appearance. In
the human body, however, 1t becomes
elongated and beady. the latter con-
dition being q defensive one against
adverse conditions.
Further experiments showed that
the germ Of leprosy will stand heat
of 1856 degrees Fahrenheit, indicating
as supposed by physicians and
scientists, that the disease is due to
eating raw fish, a practice that pre-
walls in all countries where leprosy
exists. The germ lives in putrid
materials for nine months and with
stands many antiseptics that will des-
troy other bacilli. Here is the second
source of infection, which has prob
ably given rise to the belief that the
disease ran in family, not in all it's
members, but liable to show itself
in the second or third generation.
A house occupied by a leper is
poisoned for many. months after
ward. The germs given forth by him
finding lodging in the walls and the
woodwork or elsewhere. Hence the
tendency of members of the same
family to develop the disease or it's
appearance in a family which has
moved in afterward and before the
house has been properly disinfected.
With these facts known it will be
a far easier matter to protect against
leprosy and to prevent its spread, and
1t ought to be possible to stop the
conditions which the Berlin congress
found-that the disease is growing
more prevalent in European and
American countries.
There is still the unsolved problem
of the discovery Of serum or pre-
SCACAVC, UuI Will Lu0 How l16uL uOW
shed on the subject this ought not
to be far away. DR.. Duval himself
said, "The experimental work points
to the solution Of the cure problem.
It indicates that q serum is possible
and we have good reason for believ-
ing that the immune serum will come
as direct result of our experiments"
The first step in the discovery at
Tulane was made year ago when
DR.. Duval succeeded in isolating the
leprosy germ. This was very diff
cult, and accomplished only with
special foodstuffs. a problem worked
out by DR.. Gustave Mann. The fur
Their fact now made known that fish
when filled with leprosy germs give
no indication Of 1t Is evidence of the
danger of the disease and how easily
and unsuspectingly 1t may be in
troduced into the human system. It
is hoped by the time the .next lepro-
logical congress meets to Lay before
It not only the discovery, but also
a possible serum that will prevent
or cure the disease and thus rid the
world of one Of the Oldest and most
dreaded diseases.
You know 80 much. perhaps you
know of q renter who Is satisfied
with the way his landlord keeps the
house in repair,