168 THERAPEUTICS AND PHARMACOLOGY 



ture medium in the given case. We see from this explanation that 

 Virchow himself assumes the cell-power to be variable, and we can 

 quite logically and correctly say that by the term disease, i. e., 

 nosos, is designated that condition in which the external irritation 

 can accomplish the defeat of the cell. 



Von Hansemann has shown from a pathological and anatom- 

 ical point of view that in cases of diabetes mellitus and other dis- 

 eases the tubercle bacillus involves secondarily the lung. Von 

 Hansemann calls this disposition, but we must certainly first of 

 all term it "nosos," since it is a question of proved deviation from 

 the normal. 



This can also be illustrated by experiments. In a frog anthrax 

 bacteria do not proliferate. As soon, however, as we place the ani- 

 mal in an incubator, i. e., weaken the cell-power by heat, we are 

 able to make the animal susceptible to the inoculation of anthrax. 

 In this case the parasite is only a parasite of the diseased cell, and 

 this kind of infection I have termed nosoparasitism. Thus we must 

 describe as " nosos " the molecular change which we can no more 

 observe through the microscope than we can the course of a chem- 

 ical reaction, the outcome of which we judge only by the result. 



The cell is subject to the same vital fluctuations as Brown has 

 assumed for the organism. Brownonian theory has had no special 

 value for practice, it is true, because at that time it was impossible 

 to base a system of therapeutics on these observations so as to be 

 of practical use. But it must be acknowledged that his theoretical 

 deductions can be applied to the vitality of the cell. This theoret- 

 ical explanation is under all circumstances of decisive importance 

 for therapeutics, and already physicians are beginning to direct 

 attention to this view in the study of therapeutics. Thus A. Menzer 

 says: "The solution I have attempted to give to the question of the 

 etiology of acute articular rheumatism is derived from the theory 

 of a correctly interpreted nosoparasitism." 



This question has grown to be of special importance for pulmon- 

 ary phthisis. We cannot here enter into the subject of infection 

 by tubercle bacilli; only one thing is certain, namely, that the 

 bacillus is destroyed if the cells become healthy and only does 

 harm when the cells are diseased. Even before the discovery of 

 the tubercle bacillus this fact was proved by dietetic and open-air 

 cures, as described in the excellent work of the two Doctors Wil- 

 liams, father and son, and Freund again has shown lately that 

 the functions of the tissue of the lungs are impaired by abnormal 

 immobilization of the first rib, and that then the tubercle bacillus 

 can begin its work. ^ 



At the present J&y pharmacodynamics teaches that there are 

 indeed drugs which- do not merely act specifically upon a tissue, 



