1 70 ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION 



greater accuracy, but can be treated with much greater 

 intelligence and precision than before. Lest the list given 

 above seem meagre in numbers, other of the diseases less 

 common in this vicinity should be mentioned ; for they 

 are as important in themselves as any, and all serve to 

 show the wonderful activity in medical investigation of 

 the last generation, and the marvellous fruits that are the 

 results of that investigation. Tetanus and rabies, malignant 

 edema, cholera, some few of us know from personal con- 

 tact with them ; and the same may be said of bubonic 

 plague, Malta fever, Madura foot. Leprosy, the scourge 

 of localities infected by it; malaria, brought to our special 

 knowledge by the sufferings of many of those returning 

 from the Spanish War ; influenza, that has apparently 

 become permanently resident among us; and pneumonia, 

 always with us, have each and every one become better 

 understood and better amenable to treatment, by reason 

 of the improved knowledge of their causation, methods of 

 diagnosis or treatment, directly due to the study of the 

 microorganisms and animal experimentation. 



So too have the studies upon the bacterial flora of the 

 intestines, first begun in this vicinity by the late Dr. John 

 Jeffries in my laboratory, been productive of enormous 

 benefit in the way of feeding, and the beginning of an un- 

 derstanding of the processes of intestinal digestion. The 

 first baby I ever heard of as being fed upon sterilized milk, 

 and as I believe the first one ever so treated, was a patient 

 of mine, and the idea of sterilizing the baby's milk came as 

 a direct result of laboratory knowledge. 



I should weary you if I should go on to speak further of 

 the application of the knowledge of the bacteria and of fer- 

 mentative processes to the matters of general hygiene and 

 to commercial purposes. The disposal of sewage by bac- 

 terial action in filter beds, the brewing of beer with pure 

 cultures of yeasts or the possibility that yeasts may be the 



