The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-10-14

| down human health without warn
ing. Like the rattlesnake, their at
tack is not always fatal, yet they are
constantly alert for victims.
The state board of health is main
tanned to safeguard the people OF
Oklahoma against the unseen ere.
mics which disease constantly arrays
against them. The boards chemical
and biological laboratory is being IN
creasingly equipped with scientific
apparatus that turns light on the
| places where disease exists, and cA
poses these hidden dangers. Perhaps
no other laboratory of the kind IN
the southwest has more complete
| equipment.
The province of this laboratory is
to inquire into every condition and
situation that may be menace to
public health in Oklahoma. No charge
of any kind is made for this service;
if it may not properly be done with
out charging of fee it is not dore
at all For municipalities and even
| private individuals, water is analyAed
for the detection Of germs and the
| product of germ life. Drugs and
medicines of all kinds whe"e .here
is suspicion of poison, or Of ingre-
dients inmical to public health, are
analyzed. Alcoholic beverages are
examined, to see if their content is
in violation Of the laws of Oklahoma.
Milk and preserved foods, especially
canned goods, are subjected to sim-
| lar scrutiny. The various organs Of
the human body, together with its
secretions and eXcretions, including
pus, sputum, urine, and blood, are
tested for the detection Of disease.
This includes tumors, cancers, and
other abnormal growths
The division of microscopy is en-
gagged in an endless task Daily from
all parts of Oklahoma come requests
for tests to determine the presence
or the absence of typhoid, dipltheria,
tuberculosis, malaria, hookworlo, SpI'
al meningitis, rabies, venerll disease,
tetanus, etc, in the various speci-
mems submitted by physicians and
laymen. The fact that disease is
absent is often of no less Importance
than its presence.
At this particular season typhoid
and diphtheria are consuming most
of the microscopes time. However
great his precaution, the microscopic
is never wholly safe in hunting down
diphtheria germs The typhoid germ
is a creature of water and moisture,
and may be rather safely confined iii
tubes in which the worker has placed
its cultures, care being taken to keep
ones fingers free from contamination.
The diphtheria germ, however, is 50
impalpable that it is easily lifted and
carried in the air, and into the mouth
and throat of the microscopist. The
latter seeks immunity through seruns
for the prevention of these diseases,
| When diphtheria is suspected, the
pI ..Gian swabs the throat of the pa
tienL I'd sends the carefully protected
material to the state board of hea!n.
The specimen is planted in oXblood
serum. Just as a radsh seed would
be planted in fertile soil, and placed
in an incubator where it is kept for
twelve hours at temperature of $50
degrees,
All vessels, etc, are carefully ster-
ilized and a specimen of the supposed
material placed on slide under a
high-power microscope. The germs
are easily detected, if present, having
a characteristic form. The micro
scopist loses no time in handling the
cultures, while they are dry and eX-
posed to the air, as he wishes to
take no unnecessary risk, for if he
should become infected with the diph-
! iberia germ he would have diphtherla
unless immunity had been previously
given by the use of the diphtheria
serum. The immunizing effect is !
more transitory than that of the
typhoid serum.
These chemists and biologists are
never wholly safe in their constant
exposure to the possible dangers Of
their work. Many have given up
their lives to the cause of scierce,
and its service to public health.