UTILIZING DISCOVERIES. 41 



UTILIZING DISCOVERIES. 



Schroeder's discovery, in 1854, that the ferments floating in 

 the air could be filtered out by cotton batting, together with 

 the confirmation of Schwan's conclusions by Pasteur, who 

 had continued his fractional cultivations, applying them to 

 the decompositions, led to an effort to make use of these dis- 

 coveries in the treatment of wounds, although at that time no 

 individual bacterium had been proven to be the cause of 

 disease. 



However, microscopic investigation had shown that they 

 were abundant in wound secretions, and especially abundant 

 in those that took on a bad condition. 



These facts, together with the favorable course usual with 

 comminuted fractures in which the skin was not broken, as 

 compared with similar fractures with the skin broken, caused 

 many to regard the difference as in some way connected with 

 the bacteria. 



Heretofore, this difference in the healing of such wounds 

 had been charged to the admission of the oxygen of the air ; 

 which had formerly been supposed to be the active agent in 

 fermentation and decomposition. It had now been shown, 

 experimentally, by Schwan and Latour, and recently con- 

 firmed in the most decisive manner by Pasteur, that the 

 fermentations and decompositions were caused by organic 

 germs. 



Schroeder had demonstrated that these germs could be 

 filtered out, and the air thus treated would not cause de- 

 composition. The old hypothesis was completely disproved ; 

 and it was most natural to the thought of the time to ascribe 

 the difference to the introduction, through the medium of the 

 air, of the germs of bacteria. 



Following up this train of thought, Mr. Lister, then of 

 Glasgow, Scotland, was the first to make a determined effort 



