GERMS. 129 



That is why it is so dangerous for the student or 

 operator to cut his finger while dissecting a dead body, 

 and also why it is so dangerous for a barber to cut him- 

 self while shaving a corpse. 



Virus contains no living organisms, and produces no 

 effect in a healthy system, because the healthy system 

 contains no waste upon which the virus can act. That 

 explains why some escape disease while others are af- 

 fected. 



Specific virus; i. e., contagious matter, if brought in 

 contact with living tissue, as the stomach or any part 

 of the body, seeks to enter into combination with it and 

 effect decomposition. This tendency is opposed by the 

 vitality of the part, and the result will depend upon 

 their respective strengths. In a healthy system the 

 contagious matter is overcome and digested or de- 

 stroyed, and there is no disease. When, however, the 

 body contains an 'abundance of waste matter, the con- 

 tagium acting as a ferment sets up fermentation in 

 this waste and disease results. The disease is mild or 

 severe in proportion to the amount of waste in the 

 system, plus the amount furnished during the disease. 

 The contagium or specific virus acts as a ferment just 

 as the yeast-cells act as a ferment. 



As already stated, there are many kinds of fermenta- 

 tion; as the alcoholic, the conversion of sugar into 

 alcohol and carbonic acid; acetic, the convertion of 

 alcoholic solution into vinegar; lactic, the production 

 of lactic acid in milk; putrefactive, the decomposition 

 of dead matter, etc., etc. 



All understand that each of these different kinds 



