Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1922-12-14
DR.. Cabot Gaze q
Fine Lecture Here

t1tC ACCtstS z ~ Cs z
Dr.. Hugh Cabot of the University
Of Michigan delivered a very inter
esting lecture on germs and their re
ation TO human life before an APP
preciative audience in the high school
auditorium Tuesday afternoon.
DR.. Cabot came to the city under
ne auspices of the Gratiot, Isabella,
Clare County Medical Society and the
University Extension Course. He be-
gan his address by making the state
ment that the life of any civilization
was dependent upon the general intel
ligence of the people who make up
that civilization in regard to the ma
ture and control of the diseases to
which they are exposed. These di-
ceases vary from time to time. For
instance, 100 year, ago influenza was
unknown and scarlet fever and
measles were unimportant because
people were not grouped together in
close proximity as they are today.
There is no future for any demo
cratic civilization unless the average
citizen has a general knowledge or
disease. The average man must have
az opinion as to whether legislation
asked for by health experts is rea-
sonable.
The germ theory Of disease was
developed by Pasteur, Frenchman
about fifty years ago. In seeking
remedy for the disease of anthroX
which was causing, yearly, great
losses of sheep and cattle in France,
lie discovered that little plant or
ganism was always present in the af-
hicted animals He also discovered
hat this organism could be grown
ir culture outside of the animal
body and that by making this cul-
ture weaker and weaker 80 that the
organism became more and more at
,enuated, it could be injected into ar
animal without harm and that the
animal SO treated would be practic-
ally immune from the disease of an
shrox
In the same general way he work
I'd out a II eatment for hydrophobia
which was then very prevalent in
Europe and practically eradicated
the disease. In the first four months
after completing this treatment he
'reatcd $50 cases with but 4 one per
cent mortality Today the world is
iotted with Pasteur Institutes and
he total mortality today is but one
half Of one per cent This disease
was entirely eradicated from Eng
land but owing to the fact that
America still has wild animals which
become infected with the disease, it
mas never been entirely wiped out in
his country.
These two great discoveries in re-
gard to the control of anthrox and
hydrophobia laid the general ground
work for the germ theory Of disease
Since that time one communicable
disease after another has been shown
to be due to the presence of micro
scopic organisms, and preventive ba-
ell have been worked cut.
The Panama Canal was made pos
sible by the killing of the mosquitoes
who carried the germ of yellow fever
from those afflicted with the disease
% well people. The panish-Amer-
lean War resulted in the discovery Of
the cause and treatment of this
dread disease and great good thus re-
suited.
A similar treatment for the pre-
vention Of typhoid fever was later
worked out by an English doctor
and put into practice among the
troops during the Boer War. 1t re-
ceived its final proof in the Great
War which was fought in low, fog
gy country literally crawling with
disease germs of typhoid fever. All
troops were thus protected from this
disease with the result that practic-
ally no typhoid fever was known
among any Of them.
The same war showed the absolute
protection which may be given from
tetanus or lockjaw. The soil Of
France and Belgium was especially
we'll supplied with the germ of this
horrible disease, yet few cases de-
veloped among those who received
the treatment in time. Only those
exposed for days in No Mans Land
suffered from this disease, and they
suffered because they could rot be
reached in time with the treatment.
The germ theory of Pasteur has
by this time become no longer a
theory but certain fact. Discovery
of the cause of typhoid fever, viz:
infected water, has made it an insult
for a town to allow any great spread
of this disease because the water is
always tested and any necessary pur-
ification Immediately affected.
A large group of diseases have not
been shown to be due to bacteria, as
for example, the cancerous group,
and general degenerative conditions.
tuberculosis has been shown TO be
due to bacteria, but no specific rem