Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-05
DEATH TO MICROBES
Science Engaged in Tracking
Them to Their Lair.
DEAD TO DESTROY LIVING
Remarkable War Being Waged in
England With Success
in Sight.
DEAD TO DESTROY LIVING
,reicn Correspondence Of The Star.

Foreign Correspondence OF The Star.
LONDON, July IS. 1912.
Science has discovered a new outlet for
the Sherlock Holmes instinct. Doctors
are now engaged upon tracking the willy
and criminal micrObe to it's lair. The
medical man who takes up the latest
methods in the treatment of diseases at
tributable to microbes becomes. in effect.
a skilled detective. This special medical
work is known by the somewhat forbid
ding title Of Vaccine Therpay." the de-
velopment Of which Sir Almoth Wright
and his staff are pursuing with much sue
cess in the incubation departments OF st.
Mary's Hospital, Paddington.
This remarkable war on microbes. in
which the dead are used to help III the
destruction OF the living. is described
in a report just issued by the department
and il makes fascinating reading. Hav-
ing found the central abode of the Grim
inal micrODe. the doctor hands over the
administration of capital punishment to
microbes of Its own class. for one OF the
principles in vaccine therapy is that OF
killing living microbes by the use OF dead
ones Of their own variety. BY inoculating
a patient suffering with Inflammation with
a suitable number of dead microbes OF
the same variety those found to be
causing the Inflammation, the natural
opponents of nicrobic life in the blood
are stimulated into action and assist the
cure.
So remarkable have been the cures at
ST Mary,s HospitaI-this Scotland Yard"
of the microbe world-that the number of
patients under treatment now runs into
thousands. During the past two years
some 1000 patients have been dealt with
and 100 are still under treatment. Two
men who made pilgrimages from Russia
and Hungary. respectively. in the hope
of deliyerance from their micrObic OPP
pressors and another wretchedly Ill with
a painful foot. crossed the continent OF
America and suffered torrents In an
Atlantic steefage, rather than submit to
the loss OF limb without playing the last
card To save it. The routine work, to-
gether with some spec al investigations.
has required during the two years the
examinatio Of some 10000 specimens OF
blood.
Developments in Near Future.
Experiments on those lines. with the
aid of a patent splint recently introduce
ed into England by Mr.. Gauvain. medi-
cal superintendent to the Lord Mayor
Troloar Cripples' Hospital at Action. have
suggested the possibility Of even more
startling developments in the near future.
Already consumption Of the glands. bones
and skin is yielding to the treatment. IT
is not too much to hope" says the gov
erning body, in its report. that when
treatment along these lines is generally
adopted the hunchback and high booted
cripple as q result of tubercular disease,
will disappear from our streets. 1t
is very satisfactory to record. in
connection with this form OF tubercu-
losis, that of eighty-seven patients treat
ed during these two years only two have
eventually suffered the loss of a limb
despite our efforts to save 1t. and that
with both these men we were heavily
Handicapped by the circumstance that the
disease had already existed for several