February io, 1888.] 



SCIENCE. 



67 



HEALTH MATTERS. 

 The Thermal Death-Point of Bacteria. — Dr. George 

 M. Sternberg, U.S.A., the well-known bacteriologist, has been for 

 some time e.xperimenting on the thermal death-point of pathogenic 

 micro-organisms. He has published his results in the American 

 lournal of the Medical Sciences. All the tests were made with 

 moist heat, ten minutes being the time of exposure to the given 

 temperature. The absence of growth after eight or ten days is 

 regarded by Dr. Sternberg as evidence that the vitality of the test- 

 organism has been destroyed by the temperature to which it was ex- 

 posed. No attempt has been made to fix the thermal death-point 

 within narrower limits than 2° C, and the lowest temperature is given 

 which has been found, in the experiments made, to destroy all of the 

 organisms in the material subjected to the test. No doubt more ex- 

 tended experiments would result, in some instances, in a reduction 

 of the temperature given as the thermal death-point for a degree 

 or more ; but the results as stated are sufficiently accurate for all 

 practical purposes, and permit us to draw some general conclusions : 

 (a) the temperature required to destroy the vitality of pathogenic 

 organisms varies for different organisms ; {b) in the absence of 

 spores, the limits of variation are about lo" C. (i8° F.) ; (c) a tem- 

 perature of 56° C. (132.8" F.) is fatal to the bacillus of anthrax, the 

 bacillus of typhoid-fever, the bacillus of glanders, the spirillum of 

 Asiatic cholera, the erysipelas coccus, to the virus of vaccinia, of 

 rinderpest, of sheep-pox, and probably of several other infec- 

 tious diseases ; (d) a temperature of 56° C. (132.8° F.) is fatal to 

 all of the pathogenic and non-pathogenic organisms tested, in_the 

 absence of spores (with the single exception of sarcina littea, which, 

 in one experiment, gre^ after exposure to this temperature) ; (e) a 

 temperature of loo" C. (212° F.) maintained for five minutes de- 

 stroys the spores of all pathogenic organisms tested ; (/) it is prob- 

 able that some of the bacilli which are destroyed by a temperature 

 of 60° C. form endogenous spores, which are also destroyed at this 

 temperature. 



The Herndon Scarlet-Fever Epidemic. — During the past 

 year Dr. Klein of England investigated an epidemic of scarlet-fever 

 the origin of which he believed that he could trace to a herd of 

 cows at Herndon. This investigation of Klein demonstrated that 

 the affected animals were suffering from a disease which was com- 

 municable to healthy ones, and also to man by inoculation. It was 

 considered to be distinct from cow-pox ; and the weight of evi- 

 dence seemed to indicate that it was scarlet-fever, and that the milk 

 from animals infected with the disease could communicate it to 

 those who drank it. These conclusions of Klein's have been pub- 

 lished broadcast throughout the world, and have been generally ac- 

 cepted. Since this report, the agricultural department of the privy 

 council has authorized another expert. Professor Crookshank, to 

 investigate the subject. He has done so, and has made his report. 

 His conclusions differ entirely from those of Klein. He believes 

 that the Herndon disease was not scarlet-fever, but cow-pox ; and 

 of course the epidemic, or rather outbreak, of scarlet-fever near 

 London had no connection whatever with the disease which af- 

 fected the Herndon cows. Which of the two experts is correct, 

 time alone can decide. Dr. Klein is not a novice in investigations 

 of this kind, and is not likely to be led into such a serious error as 

 the report of Crookshank would seem to indicate. Klein saw the 

 affected cows at Herndon ; Crookshank did not, and based his opin- 

 ion solely on the description of the disease as given by Klein and 

 others. The result of the controversy will be watched with interest 

 by the scientific world. 



Contagiousness of Leprosy. —The question of the con- 

 tagiousness of leprosy has again been raised by the action of the 

 board of health of Philadelphia in fining a physician one hundred 

 dollars for not having reported two cases of that disease which 

 were under his care. The editor of the New York Medical Jour- 

 nal, in commenting on this subject, claims that there is a mass of 

 incontrovertible evidence to be found in medical literature which 

 ought to place its contagiousness beyond question. In the Sand- 

 wich Islands the physicians believe strongly in its communicability, 

 and a number of instances are given which confirm this belief. 

 One of these is that of a Belgian priest who lived in the leper settle- 

 ment for the purpose of nursing and otherwise caring for those who, 



having the disease, were here isolated. The result is, that the 

 priest himself is now a victim of the disease. The medical attend- 

 ants of these outcasts will not go near them without having their 

 hands protected by gloves. The editor of the journal quotes the 

 opinions of other writers who agree with him in his views, and re- 

 fers to the report of the English commission appointed by the 

 Royal College of Physicians in 1867, which holds that leprosy is 

 not contagious. He concludes by saying, " In the face of all this 

 reliable evidence, a reasonable doubt can scarcely be entertained of 

 the contagiousness of leprosy. In its power of contagion, leprosy 

 may well be, as it often has been, compared to syphilis, and, like that 

 disease, it is frequently contracted through sexual intercourse, and 

 is also just as frequently transmitted to the offspring." 



EXPLORATION AND TRAVEL. 

 Stanley's Expedition. 



Petcnnann's Mitteilungen gives a brief review of the events that 

 have taken place in Central Africa since Stanley's departure from 

 the camp at the Yambunga rapids on the Aruvimi. On the 2d of 

 July, Stanley sent news from Mabode, on the Aruvimi, which was 

 brought to Leopoldville by the steamer ' Stanley.' Since the be- 

 ginning of July the steamer ' Stanley ' has made only one trip to 

 the Aruvimi. On the day of her return, Aug. 17, Major Barttelot, 

 who commands the camp at Yambunga, had no news from Stanley. 

 As Tippo-Tip had not sent the promised troops from Stanley Falls, 

 Barttelot was not able to leave his camp and follow Stanley. After 

 a thorough repair of the steamer, the ' Stanley ' left Leopoldville 

 on Nov. 15 for Bangala. After her return she will convey Captain 

 van der Velde to Stanley Falls, where he will establish a new 

 station near Tippo-Tip's village. Therefore we may expect to hear 

 of the events on the Upper Kongo towards March. 



Unfortunately the King of LIganda has again cut off the con- 

 nection between Emin Pacha and Zanzibar, and the reason for his 

 hostility is his fear of Stanley's expedition. After the latter had 

 left Zanzibar, the British consul-general had sent a letter to King 

 Mwanga in order to inform him of the object of the expedition. 

 This letter, which reached Uganda in June, fell into the hands of 

 the Arabs, who were hostile to the Europeans who tried to suppress 

 the slave-trade. They presented it to King Mwanga, and read it to 

 him to suit their purpose. They said the letter informed the king 

 of Stanley's intention to attack the kingdom with an army of two 

 thousand men in order to revenge Bishop Hannington's death. 

 The well-known missionary. Rev. Mr. Mackay, tried to disperse the 

 king's suspicion by informing him of the real contents of the letter ; 

 but, as he was accused of being himself an ally of Stanley's, he had 

 to leave the country in which he had lived for nine years. On Aug. 2 

 he arrived at Msalala, on the south shore of the Victoria Nyanza, 

 where the missionary Gordon had a station. The latter, who was 

 agreeable to King Mwanga on account of his relationship to Gen- 

 eral Gordon, went to Uganda. The king, however, still suspecting 

 Stanley's intentions, made war upon Kabrega, king of Unyoro, who, 

 he feared, would join Stanley in order to gain his independence. 

 The result of this war is not yet known. But in consequence of 

 this war the messengers who were sent to Casati with letters of 

 credit were prevented from reaching him. It will be remembered 

 that two of Tippo-Tip's men were sent in February of last year on 

 this errand." They went from Zanzibar to Tabora, crossed Karag- 

 we, and reached Kasinga, near the Muta Nsige, in the middle of 

 May. They were, however, unable to enter Unyoro, as it was said 

 that Mwanga had attacked the latter with an army of two hundred 

 thousand men. Having staid two months in Kasinga, they re- 

 turned to ZanzibarT'.heir means having become exhausted. 



In December the news was received in Zanzibar that Stanley 

 had reached Wadelai early in September, and that the passage 

 from Mabode to the Nile was extremely difficult. The messenger 

 who carried the report to Zanzibar was not despatched by Stanley, 

 but learned the news from Arabian traders : therefore it is doubt- 

 ful whether the report is true. The telegraph said some days ago 

 that news had been received by Dr. Schweinfurth in Cairo, but this 

 highly improbable report has been since denied by Schweinfurth 

 himself. 



