43 



bacillus implanted and the disease established, all 

 that the physician can do is to see that the 

 patient has fair play — that he is kept under the 

 most favourable conditions for battling success- 

 fully against his enemy. What is to be philo- 

 sophically aimed at, however, is to check the 

 spread — to bar the transmission of the parasite 

 from one person to another by attacking it outside 

 the body ; and this, with the application of the 

 proper measures of disinfection, can with facility 

 be done, but naturally the facility of preventing 

 extension stands in proportion to the degree of 

 limitation at the time existing. The spark of fire 

 is with the greatest ease extinguished, but let it 

 kindle into flame, and in proportion as the flame 

 spreads the difficulty becomes greater to get the 

 conflagration under. 



This is one way in which the attack upon the 

 bacillus may be made, and the ravages of disease 

 restrained. Another way, by quite a different line 

 of tactics, presents itself; and the knowledge of 

 this is due to the researches that have been re- 

 cently conducted. The vulnerable point to which 



