CHAPTEE LI 



THE MICROBE OF PUERPERAL FEVER 



THE method by which Nature perpetuates life on 

 the earth, considered in itself alone, is not danger- 

 ous to life. On the contrary, it naturally gives 

 larger and better volume to life. In developing 

 the life of the child the mother herself receives new 

 development, becoming stronger in body and mind. 



This is the general rule. The chief exception 

 comes from puerperal fever with its fatal results, 

 a fever confined exclusively to childbirth. By 

 this fever in the United States about 10,000 

 mothers, in adding as many new lives to the Re- 

 public, sacrifice their own lives every year. At this 

 rate throughout the world, the yearly sacrifice is 

 about 170,000. 



The microbe that causes all this slaughter is rep- 

 resented in Fig. 89. It belongs in the Spherical 

 Type, and is exceptionally small only the Tromr 

 part of an inch in diameter. The drop of water 

 that is the -fa part of an inch in diameter is com- 

 paratively small. But how many of the microbes 

 which cause the puerperal fever may be packed in 

 the space occupied by the drop? The two spheres 

 are to each other as the cubes of their diameters. 



The cube of A is TF!T?. The cube of T^THF is 



189 



