PASTEUR: A STUDY IN GREATNESS 17 



the great master, had nevertheless lighted their torches at his flame. I 

 know of no surer index of a man's greatness than the measure of in- 

 spiration imparted by him. 



Already Gayon had proved the bacterial cause of the decay of eggs. 

 Koch had isolated the bacilli of tuberculosis and cholera. Traube had 

 shown the like cause of ammoniacal fermentation ; and upon the knowl- 

 edge thus given, Van Tieghem and Gayon had devised their well-known 

 treatment of diseases of the urinary organs. Lister had introduced 

 asepsis, prior to which hospital statistics showed a mortality of 68 per 

 cent, of cases of puerperal fever, gangrene and septicaemia generally 

 incident to surgical operations. Accounts of surgical wards of army 

 hospitals during our own civil war, typical, of course, of all that had 

 preceded, with their perpetual agony, suppuration and horrible odors, 

 read like a nightmare of insanity. A noted surgeon-teacher of that day 

 said to his students, " When an operation seems necessary, think ten 

 times about it ; for too often when we decide upon an operation we sign 

 the patient's death warrant." Another said, " He who shall conquer 

 purulent infection will deserve a golden statue." 



But to resume our catalogue : Behring and Kitasato, investigating 

 lock-jaw, had discovered the microbe of tetanus, and ascertained the 

 curious fact that although the patient was constitutionally affected the 

 microbe was localized to the wound. They further found that the 

 systemic effect of the disease was due to a toxin produced by the bac- 

 terium which was likewise fatally affected by the toxin. So that di- 

 luted solutions of the toxin not only constituted a remedy for the dis- 

 ease, but also a prophylaxis when administered in advance of infection. 

 This was the first of the series of remedies known as anti-toxins. 



Utilizing these results in the study of diphtheria, the combined 

 labors of Eichet and Herico, Boux and Yersin, Klebs and Loeffler, 

 eventuated in 1894 in complete mastery of this disease, whose investi- 

 gation had been inaugurated by Pasteur a dozen years before. Prior to 

 the antitoxin method of treatment, diphtheria had justly been regarded 

 as one of the worst scourges of our race, claiming a death-toll of 60 per 

 cent, of all cases, and frequently leaving the survivors seriously injured 

 for the remainder of their lives. At present, the mortality is about 

 four per cent. And vaccination with the serum rendering the recipient 

 immune to the disease for a period of about two months, epidemics of 

 diphtheria may be entirely prevented by utilizing this prophylactic 

 measure. 



Closely connected with these researches on tetanus and diphtheria 

 was a remarkable research brought out about this time by Metchnikoff, 

 one of Pasteur's Bussian pupils, in which he discovered the role of leuco- 

 phytes, or white corpuscles of the blood. It appears that they consti- 

 tute, so to speak, an army of defense, attacking and " eating up " in- 



VOL. LXXIK. — 2. 



