138 MICROBES AND THE MICROBE -KILLER. 



In freezing, the microbes of meat are not destroyed ; 

 they simply remain dormant and cease propagating, as 

 they do in dry dust, but as soon as the meat is thawed 

 they begin again to do their work ; they increase and 

 multiply ; the process of fermentation begins and that 

 of putrefaction soon follows. It is extremely difficult to 

 kill them. Even where sulphurous acid gas is used, seve- 

 ral hours become necessary in which to continue the pro- 

 cess, and all atmospheric air must be carefully excluded. 

 The sulphur gas must have access to every crack and 

 crevice, for if but a vestige of microbe life remains it 

 will develop, and the fumigation or disinfecting process 

 will have been in vain. To say that microbes may be 

 dissipated or destroyed by firing cannon, building fires, 

 or spraying something into the air, is simply a result of 

 ignorance. 



Microbes are known to exist in sulphuric acid and in 

 many other powerful poisons, but they are not of a kind 

 that would produce disease in the human body, because 

 they could not find a suitable nidus there. It shows, 

 however, what they may be, and how capable they are 

 of sustaining life under conditions where it seems im- 

 possible. If microbes from the body be placed in sul- 

 phuric acid they are, of course, instantly consumed. 



The micro-organisms are universal. If all were detri- 

 mental to the human body we could not live for twenty- 

 four hours. We inhale them with our breath, take 

 them into the system with our food, and can barely 

 handle anything without coming in contact with them. 

 Some are even healthful. The yeast plant is one of 

 them, and the fungi that we have in wine, beer, and 

 vinegar are not injurious. It is only disease-producing 

 germs that we have to combat, and those which find a 

 suitable nidus in the human body for propagation. 



Sometimes doctors have told me that in destroying 

 disease germs we destroy also microbes that may be 

 useful. To that I can confidently reply that I have de- 

 stroyed disease microbes in myself and in thousands of 

 other persons, and that if the good ones have gone too 



