GEKMS. 65 



compound fracture; i. e., the broken ends of the bone 

 project through the skin. The wound does not heal 

 readily and pus forms. The microscope would reveal 

 millions of germs present, yet no one would be foolish 

 enough to believe that the germs caused the disease. 

 All would understand that they were the result and 

 not the cause. 



Take diseases that are more grave; diseases that are 

 most dangerous to human life, and also those which 

 contain the greatest number of germs. Typhoid fever, 

 where many ulcers or pus cavities are formed; ulcer of 

 the stomach, pneumonia, consumption, abscess of the 

 abdominal cavity in appendicitis, etc. In each of these 

 germs are present in vast numbers, yet everyone under- 

 stands that these cases usually recover. Recovery is 

 the rule in typhoid fever and pneumonia. Ninety per 

 cent of those having appendicitis recover without oper- 

 ation, and as already stated, the bacteriologists them- 

 selves admit that "extensive observations in the mor- 

 gues of large cities prove that even a large proportion 

 of persons dead from other causes have recovered from 

 consumption." 



Doctor Ingals of Chicago is quoted as saying that 

 "ninety per cent of all people have consumption some- 

 time." This is a sweeping statement of the prevalence 

 of consumption, but observation and experience bear 

 it out. 



It is stated editorially in the December, 1900, 

 Alkaloidal Clinic, page 931, that Naegeli found, with 

 improved methods of post-mortem examinations and 

 investigations, that one hundred per cent of adults 



