172 



THE STORY OF GERM LIFE. 



The demonstration that putrefaction and de- 

 cay were caused by bacteria, and the early proof 

 that the silkworm disease was produced by a 

 micro-organism, led to the suggestion that the in- 

 flammatory diseases accompanying wounds were 

 similarly caused. There are many striking sim- 

 ilarities between these troubles and putrefaction, 

 and the suggestion was an obvious one. At first, 

 however, and for quite a number of years, it was 

 impossible to demonstrate the theory by finding 

 the distinct species of micro-organisms which pro- 

 duced the troubles. We have already seen that 

 there are several different species of bacteria which 

 are associated with this general class of diseases, 

 but that no specific one has any particular relation 

 to a definite type of inflammation. This fact made 

 discoveries in this connection a slow matter from 

 the microscopical standpoint. But long before 

 this demonstration was finally reached the theory 

 had received practical application in the form of 

 what has developed into antiseptic or aseptic 

 surgery. 



Antiseptic surgery is based simply upon the 

 attempt to prevent the entrance of bacteria into 

 the surgical wound. It is assumed that if these 

 organisms are kept from the wound the healing 

 will take place without the secondary fevers and 

 inflammations which occur if they do get a chance 

 to grow in the wound. The theory met with de- 

 cided opposition at first, but accumulating facts 

 demonstrated its value, and to-day its methods 

 have been adopted everywhere in the civilized 

 world. As the evidence has been accumulating, 

 surgeons have learned many important facts, fore- 

 most among which is a knowledge of the common 

 sources from which the infection of wounds oc- 



