GERMS. 11 



The bacteriologists are unable to give us the cause 

 of disease, but they can tell us of the germ. The bacil- 

 lustuberculosisofKoch, and later the rftaphylococeus- 

 pyogeneseaureus and last the cocco-bacillus. The im- 

 portance of this combination bacillustuberculosissta- 

 phylococcuspyogenesaureuscoccobacillus cannot be over- 

 estimated, nor can it b'e fully appreciated except by 

 the disciples of Koch. 



Dr. Wyman is Supervising Surgeon General, U. S. 

 Marine Hospital Service, and after explaining( ?) how 

 the germ enters the body, the doctor says regarding 

 the spread of disease, that rats are the most probable 

 means of conveyance. Then Dr. Wyman himself asks 

 the stupendous question: "How is the disease con- 

 veyed from rat to rat?" 



The doctor proceeds to answer his own question. 



Regarding this grave problem the doctor solemnly 

 declares: "It is very possible that the fleas which in- 

 fest rats, and which notoriously leave their bodies as 

 soon as the cadavers become cold after death, may, by 

 their bites infect other rats." 



Fleas, beside the germs, the bacteriologists can in- 

 form us regarding fleas, that order of insects known 

 as SepJionoptera, and especially the variety Pulex 

 iritans. 



Of course there are many other varieties. The Pulex 

 canis, Pulex felis domestica, sand fleas, sand hoppers, 

 jiggers, etc. 



It is said these pellucid parasites are armed with an 

 apparatus called the suctorial proboscis, or something 

 like that. We admit that we possess but a limited 



