76 MICROBES AND HEALTH. 



system, including this denizen of the throat, must par- 

 ticipate in the contamination and acquire the diph- 

 theritic diathesis, so when under such conditions, it 

 has been taken and injected into animals and they 

 have developed the diphtheria, the false assumption 

 has arisen that this microbe, harmless enough when 

 taken from a healthy person, was the cause of diph- 

 theria, because it induced the disease when taken from 

 a diphtheritic patient, any other microbe or emanation 

 from whom would have possessed the same diseased 

 property." 



Dr. Bantock says in substance that germs are pres- 

 ent in every healthy system, and that if taken from a 

 healthy system they will not produce disease, but after 

 having been in contact with diseased tissue they may 

 carry disease the same as any other substance, the 

 same as a bandage or towel that has been in contact 

 with a diseased part. Dr. Bantock says germs are both 

 '"necessary and a benefit." 



Begarding antitoxin for diphtheria, it is important 

 to remember that diphtheria is a self-limited disease, 

 a disease of short duration, and under favorable hy- 

 gienic surroundings and good general management 

 usually terminates favorably, otherwise the life of anti- 

 toxin for diphtheria would have been as short as the 

 tuberculin of Koch. 



As stated, in the recent past, bacteriologists have 

 manufactured and used antitoxins for many diseases, 

 but they have proved such utter failures that of late 

 we hear little of them except antitoxin for diphtheria 

 .-as just mentioned. The others have faded from view 



