The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-11-14
-DletZ on SClenCe--
FAMED FOE OF
MICROBES GETS
COVETED PRIZE
DR.. TheobaId Smith, Copley
Medal Winner, Found
Tick Caused Fever.
on Science
BY DAVID DIETZ
gcripps Howard Science Editor


scripps Howard Science Editor
- The Copley medal Of the Royal
Society Of London, one Of the most
coveted prizes in the world Of
science. has Just been awarded to
DR.. TheobaId Smith, pioneer Ameri-
can microbe hunter.
That one whose work had the
fundamental significance Of that Of
Or. Smith. should still be numbered
among contemporary scientists,
testihes to the extreme youth Of
our knowledge Of bacteriOlOgy.
Dr.. Smith was the first man to
show that insects could be the car
riers Of disease germs. With that
discovery, he opened a new chap
ter in science and civilization. He
pointed the way to the eradication
Of yellow fever in Cuba and the
Panama Canal Zone. He was the
pathfinder for the courageous group
Of microbe hunters who have traile /
dread diseases in the tropics.
We must go back to the nine
tenth century for the beginning Of
the story. For decades the herds Of
southern stockmen were devastated
by Texas fever. or splenetic fever as
it is now called Because of it.
many foreign countries excluded
American cattle and cattle products.
The disease was the greatest obstacle
confronting the southern livestock
industry
In 1888. the bureau Of animal in
dustrv. a division of the United
States Department of Agriculture,
undertook a study of the disease
DR.. Smith was then in the bureau
He is now on the staff of the Rookie
feller Institute.
Tick Spread Disease
In 1893. DR.. Smith made his
epoChal discovery. He showed that
the Texas fever was caused by a
microbe which was transmitted to
the cattle by the bite Of an insect.
The insect in question was the tick.
At once work was started to eradi-
cate the tick. The disease was sup
pressed to a considerable extent as
a result and the southern cattle in
dustry showed corresponding
growth.
Dr. Smith. by his work, had UNI
covered a deadly alliance between
two of mans most dangerous foes,
insects and microbes. For it is
fact that if man ever loses control
of the world. it will be these tiny
competitors who will take it away
from him Man does not have to
fear the large animals Elephants,
lions, tigers and similar creatures
flee before the advance. of ClVlliza-
ton They would be extinct today
if various governments did not re-
strict the number which might be
killed by hunters.
Too Numerous to Count
But the insects swarm every
where. When men develop large
farms. they take feeding territory
away from the larger animals, but
they concentrate foodstuffS for the
insects.
It is impossible to comprehend
the numbers of insects in the world.
Competent authorities estimate that
there often are as many as 10000
600 aphids on one tree.
We have our troubles keeping in
sects from destroying our sources
of food. But when insects ally
themselves with microbes, they be-
come mans most dangerous enc
mics.
DR.. Smiths work taught men to
suspect insects wherever diseases
we're epidemic. OF course, insects
we're not always to blame, but in
many cases they we're.
Secondly, he taught how a disease
might be controlled even when
medical science was unable to cure
the disease. It was in this way that
yellow fever was stamped out.
Yellow Fever Halted
Major Walter Reed and his brave
group of associates. some of whom
died horrible deaths from yellow
fever. had no cure for that dread
disease. But by proving that it was
the stegomia mosquito, the pretty
silver-barred mosquito. which car
ried the disease, they made it pos
sible to stamp out the disease by
destroying the breeding places of
the mosquito.
As soon as Major Reed and his
martyrs had established the cause
of VI low fever. Colonel William G.
&C IS. then the chief sanitary Of
with the United States army
.;uba set about cleaning up the
eeding places of the mosquito.
There has been no yellow fever in
4 Cuba since.
When in 1904. the United States
undertook to build the Panama
canal. Colonel GorgaS was sent to
Panama to repeat his Cuban per-
Torrance. Until then the ISthmuS
of Panama had been a. narrow land
of evil repute. the White Mans
Grave it was called.
The French had failed to build
the canal. not because of a lack of
engineering skill but because of their
inability to compete with the
plaques. GOrgas and his germ fight
erS paved the way for the American
engineers. And so it might be said
that the Panama canal really
started when Theobald Smith went
hunting for the cause of Texas
fever.