The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-09-08
LONG-SOUGHT GERM
OF RABIES ISOLATED
Problem Which Has Baffled
Scientists Is Solved by
DR.. Noguchi.

OF the Rockefeller Institute for Mcdi
car research In this city. had dis
coVcreu and cultivated the germ OF
rabies For thirty years pathoiorists
nave sought to isolate the germ which
produces hydrophobia, but without sue
cess DIR. Noguchi thus describes his
researches
In the early part of 1912 I under
.ook 20 cultivate the rabic virus and
nave now obtained certain results
ABOUT nifty series of CIVILIZATIONS were
made with the brain or medulla re-
moved aseptically from rabbits, guineat
PISS ana dogs infected with street
virus. passage virus, or 'nXcd virus
Usually the animals were cthcrizod
Just before spontaneous death oc-
Cured.
The method that has yielded tho
result 10 be reported Is similar TO that
employed successfully for the Guilt
walton of the spirochaetae of relansiny
lever. In tho cultures very minutc
granular bodies arise, which on sub
sequeht transportation rcappcar in
the new cultures through many gen
crations. The same bodies. so far as
appearances are concerned. are OBJ
laincd from street PASSAGE and
liked virus. on four different occa
sions l observed in the cultures from
passage ana fixed virus indicated
round or oval bodies. surrounded with
membranes totally different from the
minutcr granular bodies. although
arising In the cultures in which the
latter occurred. Their appearance was
sudden and their duration four to five
days. when they diminished ceincidcnt
with an increase in granular bodies In
ono OF the four instances the larger
bodies appeared In a culture obtained
from the brain of a rabbit previously
lnoculatcd with culture of passage
virus which had given rise 10 the
symptoms of rabies. In two of the in
stances the larger aI hn, -.
arose in cultures prepared from fixed
virus, In which the ncgri bodies were
difficult to demonstrate either in sec
tons or in films"
When Or George Cibier Rambaur
director OF the New York Pastcur In
stitute. AT 361 West Twenty-third
street. learned of DR.. Noguchi's report
yesterday he was much Interested
III this report emanated from any
source save DR. Noguch would lie
inclined TO discrcdit it," he said IF
Dr Noguchi states that he has success
fully cultivated the parasite of rabies
il Is doubtless true For my own part
my researches had led me to conclude
that the germ of rabies was bacte-
rum and not Il protozoan. This CON
clusion was based on the fact that bac-
terra can be passed through filters.
and protozoa, except in the cases of
very minute protocol, are infilterab BILE
If DR.. Noguchi has succeeded. as there
is every reason to believe he has. in
isolatinE and cultivating the germ OF
rabies. he has made an Important CON
tribution 10 medical science.
His discovery proves that we must
always keep an open mind on such
matters. The other day read OF a
POSITIVE cure which it was said had
been accomplished in case of human
rabies by DR.. Harris in ST Louis bv
injections of quinine solutions said
thcn mat If the germ of rabies was 4
protoZoan. such an assertion was cred
lble. but believing that the germ was n
bacterium. l could not believe the re-
port The germ of malaria is IA pro-
tozoan. and quininc is effective in tho
treatment of that disease. / have vet
10 see, however, case Of human rabies
in WHICH cure was accomplished in
my experience
Rabies has ALWAYS been bopi,r
clsease The Pasteur treatment is an
effective preventive OF hydropbobit
nut II cannot cure the disease our
emulsion with which we Inject patients
threatened with rabies, is virulent
serum. Hitherto we have known noth-
ing about the real nature Of the germ
CT or the serum, although we have
necn able to take cultures OF it, The
Iasteur serum is obtained through the
injection OF street" rabies culture OBJ
tanned from the brain of dog origi-
rally infected, into a rabbit. We have
found that street rabies. while fatal
10 human beings does not seriously
anect rabbits at first From the brains
oil rabbits inoculated with street"
rabies we obtained the passage" rabies
virus. With succeeding NEGOTIATIONS OF
passage" virus we obtained finally.
The fixed" virus which is fatal to rab-
bits, but harmless to men and dogs
Our Pastcur emulsion is a culture Of
this virus in a saline solution. the pur-
pose being to obtain as homogeneous 4
serum as possible.
Il very much doubt whether DR.. No
euchi's discovery will make any i'm
mediate change in the treatment OF
patients who have been bitten by rabid
dogs Whether his discovery will re-
suit in the finding of specific cure
for this most dreaded disease Is some
thing which must be left to the future
If such n specific and absolute cure
can be found it is probable that DR..
Noguchi viii be the one TO give it to
the world"
Or. Hideyo Noguchi, whose re-
searches have resulted in the present
discovery. was born at Inawashiro
Fukushima Japan. on November ~.
1876, and was educated in the public
schools OF his native land and under
private tutors. from whom he received
instruction in German. French ana
English, and in Chinese literature He
received the degree Of doctor OF medi-
cine from the Tokyo Medical College
III 1897. and later took a postgraduate
course at the University OF pennsyl-
vania from 1901 TO 1903
For the next year lac studied at the
StatenS Serum Institute. at Copcnha-
gen. Denmark, ana in 1906 received the
degree OF master OF scicncc from the
University OF Pennsylvania In 1871
he was appointed to Il titular profess
aorShip oy the Imperial government OF
Japan. where from 1897 10 1895, prior
to entering the University Of Penn
sylvania. he had been assistant super
intchdcn; OF the Government institute
for infectious Diseases.
DR.. Noeuchi has held profcssorships
in pathology at the Tokyo Dental Col
lego, University CT Pennsylvania. ana
the Carnegie Institute. In 1909 he was
appointed to The Rockefeller Institute
Tor Medical Research. Ills discoveries
were of vast aid to the work OF Or
Heinrich Ehrllch, the discovcrcr OF
salvarsan.