Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-10-22

in the lower story. 1t was in this fluid
that the elusive germ was expected to
manifest its presence-and this germ was
an "anaerobe"; that is, it was form of
animal life that could not exist in the
presence of oxygen.
In the bottom of the tube were two
easily discernible pieces of tissue-one a
minute segment of the brain of person
who had died of infantile paralysis, the
other small piece of rabbit liver. What
was the purpose of these various sub
stances? Clearly, the brain tissue, being
taken from a victim of the disease, must
contain the organism in enormous album
dance The problem was to make this
organism leave its shell and circulate in
the ascitic fuid and the rabbit liver was
placed next to the brain tissue in the hope
of tempting the microbe into the outside
world.
After few days a faint opalescent
glow began to surround the rabbit
liver. Gradually, day by day, this cloudy
substance assembled into the fluid.
When Doctor Noguchi placed specimen
of this opalescence on microscope slide.
lively dancing bodies, no larger than
points of light, filled the entire field of
vision. Here and there, hardly clearer
than faint microscopic shadows, appeared
other objects, shaped like seeds hung to-
gether in chains and other masses. Later,
by using familiar laboratory methods,
Doctor Noguchi succeeded in bringing
these shrinking organisms into greater
prominence. He found that one hundred
and thirty thousand, ranged side by side.
would make an inch. When he injected
minute colony of these organisms into
a monkey, it promptly died of infantile
paralysis.
Here, then, was this fearful enemy of
the human race. That was the organism
which has caused all this havoc. The dis
covery was great laboratory triumph,
and held forth the promise of ultimate
benefit Up to date, however, it has been
rather barren of practical result Doctors
Flexner and Noguchi have carefully stud
led the habits of the germ, know its usual
means of ingress to the human body
through the nose and throat,-have
learned that sunlight readily kills it and
that it can be carried in dried particles
like dust. Precisely how the contagion
is whether by biting insect or
SohiSViS w SohpuCp, ClUHci WIlIl IL SIGN per-
son or healthy "carrier'--is vet I'M
known. This is the one harrying mystery
that makes the operations of this organ
ism so terrible.
The Fight Must Be Prevention
WHAT is especially discouraging, how
ever, is that the germ voluntarily
attacks only one animal, and that is man.
A monkey can be artificially inoculated;
but even this animal never catches" the
disease in nature. And the monkey is the
only animal, except man, that can be
given the disease experimentally. This
makes all but impossible serum treat :
ment, since monkey is not useful ami
NAL from which to obtain serum. If
only that old, faithful friend of human
kind, the horse, were subject to infantile
paralysis, the problem would be more
than half solved, for then it would be pos
sible to obtain an anti-toxin. As it is, the
only animal that can be depended upon
to yield possible serum is man himself.
A patient who has had the disease and
recovered owes a peculiar duty to his
IL, 4. L. -