Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-21
The HQSkin Letter 81 , : %s2a
BENEFICIENT BACTERIA

Washington, D. c., May 1S.-There
is probably no place where a germ
can receive a more cordial welcome or
live a more eventful life than at the
HYGIENE laboratory of the public
health service.
Germs Of any distinction at all are
treated with great consideration here.
Special food is cooked in a shiny white
| kitchen for the enormous number of
the laboratory b%oarders. The bacteria
are fed at government expense. Their
tastes are closely studied and catered
to.
Most disease germs like beef, and
in a white, glass front cabinet you
can see rows of squat glass bottles
containing various kinds of carefully
prepared bouillon. About 300 pounds
of fine grade lean beef went into the
bottles on these shelves, a laboratory
~pathologist explains. This is about a
weeks ration. The food must be pre-
pared fresh every few days for the
discriminating bacteria. Some of the
soup on these shelves is put up with
sugar to suit certain kinds Of bac-
terra. Others prefer salt. A few
demand a dash of alcohol-and get it.
The meals of the bacteria are,
strange to say. protected against germs.
that is against other germs. Big
white sterilizing machines kill all pos
sible intruding bacteria before the gov
eminent employed bacteria are intro
duced to it.
These petted bacteria are not a par
asitic, leisure class, however. They
have important work to do in labora-
tory experiments and under the micro
scope. They 60 from the kitchen in
test tubes that are partly filled with
their favorite food so that they may
grow and multiply. Like human beings
they can work best under favorable
conditions. so they are kept at a con-
genial temperature. Most disease
hardy types will grow at almost freez-
ing temperature.
No one could estimate how many
bacteria the hygienic laboratory has
on its hands at any one time. Labora-
tory scientists, who aim at exactness
whenever it is humanity possible, ex-
plain that it is humanity impossible to
keep track Of numbers. They simply
say that there can be myriads of bac-
terra on an inch of presumably clean
skin or q tiny cross section Of tissue.
One scientist who spent some time
counting the plague bacteria in the
stomach If a flea found 1000. But no
one knows how many other bacteria
were in that pin point space. invisible
to the highest power miscroscope. The
bacteria of the commonest of children's
diseases. chicken pox, mumps and
measles, have never been seen. They
DEFY the best charging apparatus. and
they slip through the finest filters.
HON enthusiastically small these elu-
sive bacteria must be is understood
when you consider what minute work
is required to deal with the larger
bacteria. those that can be seen when
magnified several hundred times.
Serves the Whole Country
In one room of the laboratory build
ing bits of tissue are prepared for
study. These samples are sent in by
government doctors from all over the
country. Some are taken from per-
sons who died of diseases that We're
never diagnosed. Others are samples
of diseased tissues taken from living
PERSONS in operations. They are sent
to the government for Identification.
A piece of tissue about the size of
the end of a thumb is first frozen on
a complicated little instrument. To do
this carbon dioxide gas is put under
high pressure in a tube and by turn
ing the key the gas is expanded on
to the specimen as it lies on the in
strument plate. The gas takes the
heat from the air and water and grad
uany ice forms around the bit of It's
sue. Then a knife device cuts off
LAYERS which will be mounted on
glass slides for examination under a
microscope.
Paper is often used as a compare
tive term. of thinness. but so thin are
these slices of tissue that are cut off
that it would take about 100 of them
to build up the thickness of onion