Pathogenic 3Iicrobes in the Static Condition. 45 



met with in surgical wards, the bacillus of Kocli in 

 those of the tuberculous. These germs come from the 

 dried exudates, dressing cloths, etc. 



It is therefore necessary, in places where diseased 

 subjects reside, to take precautions against the germs 

 of the atmosphere. 



The condition of desiccation of virulent material 

 has necessarily a great influence upon the richness of 

 the air in pathogenic products, and all the conditions 

 which assist in raising the dust are of such a nature 

 as to increase the number of these products. Klebs 

 has observed that during an epidemic of diphtheria a 

 large number of new cases occurred after the sweep- 

 ing of the streets and that they especially prevailed 

 along the roads followed by the wagons used in trans- 

 porting the dirt. 



Waters. — From a pathological point of view, gen- 

 erally speaking, a water is the more to be feared the 

 greater the proportion of organic matter it contains, 

 since this material implies the presence of microbes 

 which live at its expense. Most of the germs of 

 water, however, are inoffensive; only rarely have 

 pathogenic microbes been met with : septic vibrio, pus 

 cocci, etc. 



Pathogenic germs find entrance to waters in various 

 ways ; they may come from the air, from the bodies 

 of animals which have succumbed to infectious dis- 

 eases, or they may come from the soils traversed by 

 the waters. This last mode has especially attracted 

 attention during recent times : the bacillus of typhoid 

 fever of man which is voided with the fsecal matters, 

 can pass with the liquids of cesspools through very 

 porous soils and thus come to contaminate the subter- 



