RECOGNITION OF ANTIBIOTICS 



15 



the interrelations })et\veen disease-produe- 

 ing and sapropl^vtic microlies in plant 

 diseases. 



4. Direct observations were made on the 

 effect of metabolic products of saprophytic 

 organisms upon disease-pi'oducing organisms 

 and upon infections. 



One of the early observations, made by 

 Roberts in 1874, is of particular interest hi 

 this connection. Certain liquid extracts in 

 which a green mold had been growing 

 luxuriantly became infected with bacteria 

 only with great difficulty. The possibility 

 was suggested that the mold held in check 

 the growth of bacteria. On the other hand, 

 liquids full of bacteria did not favor good 

 growth of the mold {PeniciUium glaucum). 

 An antagonism was also observed between 

 the growth of different races of bacteria. 

 Roberts concluded, "There is probably in 

 such a case a struggle for existence and a 

 survival of the fittest." 



In 1876, the British physicist Tyndall also 

 reported on the growth of wild cultures of 

 l)acteria and fungi in organic infusions; he 

 spoke of "the struggle for existence between 

 the bacteria and the penicillium. In some 

 tubes the former were triumphant; in other 

 tubes of the same infusion the latter was 

 triumphant." He concluded that ''the 

 bacteria which manufactiu'e a green pigment 

 appear to be uniformly victorious in their 

 fight with the peniciUiiim.'" 



These early reports heralded the develop- 

 ment of penicillin and pyocyanase. 



Soon afterward, in 1877, Pasteur and 

 Joubert noted that "... one can infect 

 abundantly an animal with anthrax with- 

 out the animal becoming diseased; it is 

 sufficient that the fluid contain in sus- 

 pension simultaneously the anthrax or- 

 ganism and a common or harmless bac- 

 terium." They then added prophetically, 

 "These facts perhaps justify the highest hope 

 for therapeutics." 



Soon numerous other observations were 



recorded concerning the effect of saprophytic 

 microbes upon disease-producing organisms. 

 Cantani, for example, wrote in 1885: "The 

 known fact that certain bacteria can destroy 

 the cultures of other microbes, even those 

 that are pathogenic, if they come into con- 

 tact with them in any way, gave me the idea 

 of exploring this procedure for the treat- 

 ment of various infectious diseases." He 

 treated pulmonary tuberculosis by intro- 

 ducing by nebulization the saprophyte 

 Bacterium termo into the lungs of a patient. 

 Even though he reported clinical improve- 

 ment, the method was never used on a large 

 scale. 



The very same year, C'ornil and Babes 

 wrote: "The study of the reciprocal action 

 that l)acteria have one upon another, 

 persisted in, and enlarged in scope, might 

 lead to therapeutical results." These authors 

 are also credited with introducing the agar 

 cross-streak test. This test was further de- 

 veloped by Garre, who showed in 1887 that 

 strains of Pseudomonas were producing a 

 specific diff'usible substance which was able 

 to inhibit the growth of staphylococci and 

 other pathogens. 



Two to three years later a number of 

 papers were published \\hich focused atten- 

 tion on the great potentialities of Pseudo- 

 monas aeruginosa. Bouchard, Charrin and 

 Guignard, Kitasato, Woodhead and Wood, 

 and Blagovestchensky all demonstrated the 

 antibiotic powers of this l)acterium against 

 the anthrax bacillus and other pathogens. 

 Honl and Bukovsky, in 1899, treated 

 with an ill-defined extract of Pseudomonas 

 aeruginosa more than 100 patients who had 

 infected wounds. The results were good. In 

 the same year, Emmerich and Low reported 

 their work on pyocyanase, also an ill-defined 

 extract of the same bacterium. Pyocyanase 

 was bactericidal and bacteriolytic (references 

 to above papers are found in a paper by 

 Lagodsky, 1951). 



Before the turn of the century, attention 



