PASTEUR'S WORK.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 58, 9 March 1889, Page 3 (Supplement)

PASTEUR'S WORK.

The Germ of Biphtiioria Uiscovcred,

A despatch to the "New York World" dated February 9bh pays : Your correspondent found Professor Pasfcoiu* this afternoon in jhe magnificent building of the Institute Pasteur, on the Rue Rotat, which public subscription has erected in his honour, and as a home for the great scientist. 'Yes,' said he with a pleasant smile, {I think I will be able to give pleasant news tothe 'New York World.' ftlyableassistants, Drs. Roux and Yersiro, have discovei-ed the germs of the terrible disease diphtheria, which ravages in winter your large cities, I believe, in a more virulent form than it does any other part of the world. Taking the morbid tissue from the throat of a victim, several animals have been inoculated with it, and all died in due course with a disease having the objective symptoms of diphtheria.

•So far, so good ; but the opponents of the animalculre theory in epidemic diseases then said that these experiments only showed the terrible virulence of the original poison. To answer this, my young scientific assistants, by means of a glass tube graduated to the hundredth power, diluted the morbid tissue to an infinitesimal amount. The germ was then taksn from the last crop, and a rabbit was inoculated, which immediately died as quickly as the first victim in the cause of science before dilution.

' This is how -we stand—we have found the deadly germ, but we have not as yet secured a prophylactic for its cure or prevention. My confreres are now at work solving the problem. From the success so far in this original field of research, I believe it will be forthcoming. We can give any number of rabbits or dogs the diphtheria and kill them as effectually as though they had caught it at first hand in the regular course of events.

'We have not, however, succeeded yet in attenuating the virus, and so cannot inoculate. I wish you would lay great stress on this point, because I am afraid a whole shipload will be coming over to secure by a visit to the Institute Pasteur immunity from diphtheritic affections. Tell them we are not ready for business yet, but perhaps will be in summer.'

Pasteur then turned to the inspection of his glass tubes, filled with the deadly germs, tnfcrobes or bacilli, of many diseases which flesh is heir to. Pasteur remarked, with a smile, ' Our children are in luck. It will be much pleasanter to live in the twentieth century, when epidemics will be done away with.'