284 BACTERIOLOGY. 



ficient to destroy or harm the germs. In such 

 cases, however, quinine is given only prophy- 

 lactically and therefore only in small doses ; 

 so-called large doses may act in just the same 

 way. 



If proper quantities be selected the stimula- 

 tive effect of small doses must, theoretically at 

 least, be brought into play without any such 

 poisonous effects as might possibly follow from 

 larger doses. The cure is consummated with- 

 out poisoning, without causing a drug disease ; 

 it is effected by the intervention of the body 

 cells. The remedy heals simply because it 

 acts as a stimulus and temporarily exalts the 

 natural forces of the organism. Since some 

 cases of malaria may be cured by simple treat- 

 ment with water, it follows that the malarial 

 parasite as well as some others can be suc- 

 cessfully combated by a more simple method of 

 stimulating and strengthening the body-cells. 



If the cells of the human body are affected 

 more seriously and in larger numbers by some 

 very severe attack, then stronger stimuli, that 

 is to say larger amounts of the drug, are 

 needed. In such cases the poisonous action 

 of the drug usually becomes manifest also, or 

 it may happen that the stimulus fails to act 

 because it is applied too late and is hence 

 unable to affect many points. The full util- 



