Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-10-06


Who Come in Contact with Them. Thu,
Entirely Doing Away with Danger
Of Communicating the Infection.
In no "smears" Of these bacteria were
there any of the welllinown Pfciffer bacilli
or influenza or any double cocci Of pneu-
monia
The newly discovered germ has charac-
teristics peculiarly it's own These are de-
Scrioed In technical reports in the London
Lancet for July and the British Medical
journal for August 10. 1918
AS a rule there are so many bacteria that
are specifically at first glance exactly
aAke that a mere inspection OF them un.
eyed or unstained under the microscope
without planting them in various small test
tubes OF different soils would fool even ey.
perts into believing that they are similar
and identifiable.
On this account it Is that bacteriologists
must use great many other tests to con
vince themselves and their skepticaI con-
treres and enemies that they have a new
ana different germ.
II is done in this way When they find
and Isolate bacterium and under the
microscope II resembles even when
stained blue or otherwise dyed the diplo-
coccl OF pneumonia or meningitis-botf of
Whlch also look alike-they nut iodine on
e. i
differentiated into one OF two groups which
take or do not take iodine.
Ihen 1t is planted in gelatne. 1t either
grows and melts the gelatine or it does
not. Thus another group is found.
men potato. moss. agar, banana, blood
serum and other soils are uscd-until
whole series OF facts are found about a
germ which show it to be different from all
hitherto discovered ones
Thus it is with the new germ The med
ical gentlemen determined that 1t has
none OF the earmarks OF any bacillus that
has ever been brought into captivity"
This bacillus we have found grows with
extreme reluctance upon the various
media" or fields on which most other
micro.organisms thrive. II bankers after
blood. 1t thrives and grows best on blood
serum media, although it does not grow
in the human blood
There is a luXurant, rich abundant
sprouting Of the malicious bacillus in this
serum soil, which explains why Spanish In.
fiuenza clings so tenaciously to the lips,
the tongue, the mouth and the gums OF its
victims and its Carriers"
The physicians and scientists OF tho
Allied countries arc seriously considering
whether or not the germs OF this disease
have been Intentionally disseminated by
the German Government with the inten-
ton OF weakening their opponents. No
definite conclusion has been reached nm
TINS point, but the charge canot be hastily
dismissed as the German Government has
already been convicted OF employing dis.
ease germs against civilians i'm Rumania
The disease was first observed by army
doctors to be raging in the German
trenches on tho Flanders front in tho wet
weather OF last Spring. From the front
IT passed TO the weakened interior popula.
tion Of Germany with great severity r.
then broke out III Spain, and as the French
civilians first noticed It's ravagcs there
they called it Spanish influenza. II Ia sip.
niflcant that intercourse between Germany
and Spain by U-boat ana IN other wavs
has been particularly frequent. From
these two centres Its worldwide spread
has started.
Copyright. 1913, by Star c,omnan,