Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-06-21
BENEFICENT BACTERIA
Frederic J. Haskin.

wnshington. Juno 2i.--Thcre is
probably no place whero germ can
recoivo a moro cordial welcome or
1.-Two n more eventful life than at the
Hygienic Laboratory of the PUBLIC
Health Service.
Germs of any distinction at all are
,roated with great consideration here.
SpeciaI food is cooked in "A SHINY Wnlte
Kitchen for the enormous number OF
the laboratory borders The bacteria
nre fed Mt government expense. Their
tastea are closely studied and catered
10.
Most diserao germs IKE beef, ana
I'm a white. glass front cabinet yon can
see rowa Of squat glass bottles con-
tanning various kinds Of carefully
pronared bullion. About 300 POUNDS
of fine grade lean beef went into inc
bottles on these shelves. laboratory
pathoiogist explains. This In about
weeks ration The food must he pre-
pared fresh every few days for the
discriminating bacteria Some OF the
soup on the shelves is put up WIN
sugar TO suit certain kinds OF
bacteria. Others prefer salt. 4 rev
demand a dash OF alcohol-aud get u.
Tho meals Of the bacteria are,
strange to say. protected against
germs Big white sterilizing machines
XIII all possible intruding bacteria be-
fore the government employed bac-
toria are introduced 70 It.
These petted bacteria arc not
parasitic. leisure clasg. however. They
have important work 70 DO IN labora-
tory experiments and under the
microscope. They 20 from he kitchen
I'm test tubes that ars partly filled
with their fnvOrite food 20 that they
may grow and multiply. IAke human
beings they can work best under
favorable Conditions. 40 they are kept
at "A cnngenial temperature. Nos
disease germs prefer body heat
, though few hardy types viii grow
az almost freezing temperature.
No ono could estimate how mani
J bacteria the hygienic laboratory hai
. on its hands at any one time. Labora
tory scientists, who aim AT exactnes
! whenever II is humanity possible. eX
g plain that II is humanity impossibl
!, TO keep track of numbers They sirnpl,
n say that there can be nyriads o
bacteria on an inch Of presumabl
- clean skin or in a tiny cross sectio
Z Of Tissue.
20 One scientist who spent some tim
r counting the plague bacteria in tn
. stomach Of a flea found 1000. But 4
4 { -
o were in that pin point space, invisibl
= 10 the highest power microscope. Tn
= bacteria Of the cornmOnest Of children
It diseases. chicken pox. Tnumps. an
IT neases. have never been seen. The
e defy the best enlarging apparatus, ar
they slip through the finest filters.
q How infinitesimally email these ell
ID slve bacteria must 10 ts understOc
IT when you consider what minute wol
n il required 70 deal with the larg
IN bacteria, those that can be seen whe
At magnified several hundred tines
q. Serves the Whole Country.
y In one room OF the laboratory bull
VI Ing bite Of tissue are prepared Z
study. These samples are sent IN
JI Government doctors from all over q
ID country. Some are taken from pensol
n who died OF diseases that were new
Is diagnosed Others are samples OF di
Id eased tissues taken from living pc
ir sons in operations. They are sent
he the government for Identification
Id disease.
is \ piece Of tissue about the size
I'd the end of a thumb "a first frozen on
a. complicated little instrument To
ar this carbon dioxide gas Is put uno
on high pressure n tube and by tur
he ing the key the gas "a expanded
ar To the specimen SIS It lies on the
ut stTument plate. The gas takes I
nd heat from the air and water and gra
II, ually ice forms around the bit Of I
nd sue. Then knife device cuts of layt
IN which Will be mounted on glass sIic
10 sor examination under a micrOsco
~. Paper Is often used as a comparatl
-o term Of thinness. but so thin are III,
RI slices OF tissue that are cut of Il
-, Il would take about 100 OF them
ba build up the thickness OF onion 81
~ paper. Even IN these fine layers