The Microscope. 21 



VIEWS ON THE CHOLERA BACILLUS. 



J. M. Adams, of Watertown, N. Y., has a slide of genuine 

 cholera bacilli from Egypt. 



In 1831, M. de Lessep was in the midst of the cholera in 

 Egypt. He turned his house, in which he continued to live, 

 into a hospital ; yet the plague never touched him. He delib- 

 erately assert? that he never knew a Fearless man to die of 

 cholera. 



The word " microbe," now so commonly used, was coined 

 by M. Charles Sedillot, of Strasbourg, in February, 1878, in a 

 paper which he read on the application of M. PasteurV discov- 

 eries to surgery. Coming from the Greek words iuy-[>i>q, small, 

 and /5 1 !"?, life, it aptly describes the thing intended. In replying 

 to M. Sedillot, M. Pasteur used the word twice, and scientific 

 men have since generally adopted it. 



A General Denial. — I 1 . R. Lewis denies the validity of Dr. 

 Koch's conclusions as to the "comma-shaped" bacillus being 

 the cause of cholera, as bacilli identical in size, form, and in 

 their reaction with anilin dyes with those found in choleraic 

 dejecta are ordinarily present in the mouth of perfectly healthy 

 persons. — Nature. 



The Blood in Cholera. — The cholera commission appointed 

 to examine the epidemic have submitted a report. They 

 state that they followed the course of the disease by hourly 

 examining the blood of persons stricken. They found that in 

 each case at first a few of the globules presented an unhealthy 

 appearance, then a third were effected, than a half, then two- 

 thirds, finally death resulted. The important fact is developed 

 that all tf ' ! ' ire not simultaneously aff 



A Lack op Faith. — Dr. Klein, who with Dr. Gibbes, assisted 

 by M. Lingard, forms the English committee sent to India to 

 stud- holera, ' w his want of faith in the cholera bacillus, 

 deliberately swallowed a number of them. — Ex. 



Scientific Aberration. — Dr. Klein, of London, to show his 

 disregard for and lack of faith in Koch's comma-baciilus, has 

 made a meal of them recently. It is really strange that men of 

 high scientific standing should indulgs in such puerile business. 

 The Berliner Klinische Wochenschrift says: " We had looked 



