16 BACTERIA IN DAILY LIFE 



they are connected with responsible public insti- 

 tutions. 



In recent times, indeed, one of the most remark- 

 able practical uses to which bacteria have been 

 put is that of poisoning-agents on a large scale, 

 or in other words vermin exterminators ; if this 

 new role for bacteria becomes extended, as no 

 doubt it will, the law for the sale of noxious 

 drugs and preparations will also doubtless be 

 amended to cover the distribution of bacterial- 

 poisons. 



It was in the year 1889 that Professor Loeffler, 

 while experimenting with mice in his laboratory 

 at Greifswald, discovered a micro-organism which 

 was extremely fatal to all kinds of mice. The 

 happy idea occurred to the Professor that this 

 lethal little microbe, which he christened Bacillus 

 typhi murium, might be turned to excellent 

 account in combating plagues of field mice in 

 grain-fields, where the devastation committed by 

 these voracious rodents had become in parts of 

 Greece and Russia a serious source of loss to 

 agriculturists. Experiments were accordingly 

 made on a small scale to test the efficiency of 

 this bacterial poisoner in destroying field mice, 

 and so successful were the results that Loeffler 

 confidently announced the possibility of keeping 

 down these pests by distributing food material 



