The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-03-23
SCIENTIFIC STUDY
continued from papc nino)

This fact puts the investigators 20
great deal of trouble Guinea pigs ana
rabbits. the usual etaudbys of the
laboratory foo experiments of this Kind,
were found to Dee immune The leprosy
germs iu them died the moment after
injection and left ND infection Expert
monts with monkeys and mice proved
more successful Ina man the progress
of the disease was found to be very
slow indeed. but I'm fish very rapid
The conclusion reached was that the
original habitat of the disease was fish
and that is was communicated original.
ly to- man by eating infected fish with
the isolation of the germ it was pos.
siDle To carry the experiments much
further The germ resembles the ba.
Cilgs of tuberculosis, being about the
same size and the same general share
however, IL becomes elongated AMI
aoldy. the latter condition being a de
fensive one against adverse circum.
stances
Further experiments showed that
the germ of leprosy will stand heat
Of 1856 degrees Fahrenheit, indicating,
as supposed by physicians and scient
lists that the disease is due to eating
raw fish, a practice that prevails in
all countries where leprosy exists. The
germ lives in putrid materials for
months and withstands many anti.
septcs that will destroy other bacilli.
Here is the second source of infection,
which has probably given rise to the
belief that the disease ran in a family,
not in all its members, but liable to
show itself in the second or third
generation.
A house occupied by a leper is poi.
soned for many months afterward, the
germs given forth by him finding lodg-
ing in the walls and the woodwork or
elsewhere. Hence the tendency of
members Of the same family to develop
the disease, or its appearance in a
family which has moved in afterward
and before the house has been proper
ly disinfected.
With these facts known it will be a
far easier matter to protect against
leprosy and 10 prevent it's spread, and
it ought to be possible to top the con-
ditions which the Berlin congress
found, that the disease is growing
more prevalent in European and Amer
lean countries.
Search For Serum.
There is still the unsolved problem
| of the discovery of serum or proven.
tive, but with the new light now shed
on the subject this ought not to be far
away. DR.. Duval himself said "The
experimental work points to the solu-
! ton of the cure problem. 1t indicates
that a serum is possible, and we have
! good reason for believing that the i'm.
mune serum will come as the direct
result of our experiments"
The first step in the discovery at
Tulane was made a year ago when DR..
Duval succeeded in isolating the lep.
rosy germ. This was very difficult and
accomplished only with special food.
stuffs, a problem worked out by Dr..
/ Gustaye Mann The further fact now
| made known that fish when filled with
/ leprosy germs give no indication of it
| is evidence Of the danger of the dis.
ease and how easily and unsuspecting-
ly it may be introduced into the human
system. 1t is hoped by the time the
next leprologist congress meets to lay
before it not only the discovery but
also possible serum that will prevent
or cure the disease, and thus rid the
world of one of the oldest and most
! dreaded diseases,