no The Story of the Bacteria 



varying number of victims. But Europe 

 and America are in general free from it, save 

 that now and then, coming from its home in 

 the Far East, it sweeps along the seaboard or 

 over the country, bringing in a greater or 

 less degree the old-time panic and misery 

 and death in its train. Occasionally it finds 

 lodgment upon our own shores and has 

 penetrated into the interior. 



Now up to within a few years we have not 

 known what the cause of this disease really 

 was. It seemed to be something which could 

 be brought in ships and wrapped up in cloth- 

 ing, and was evidently communicable from 

 man to man. Such measures of stopping the 

 spread of the disease by isolating the sick, 

 and such general regulation of the diet and 

 habits as seemed from experience best adapted 

 to protect the well, were formulated and 

 practised. But the lack of knowledge as to 

 the exact nature of the infective agent fre- 

 quently rendered futile the one and uncertain 

 the others. 



To-day we know that Asiatic cholera is 

 caused by a little curved bacillus, which on 



