THE BACTERIA. IN SURGICAL LESIONS. 185 



obscurities when we know better how to distin- 

 guish the different kinds of microphytes. Indeed, 

 while Billroth only admits two invariable funda- 

 mental types, Coccos and Bacteria, Weigert has 

 recently expressed views quite opposed to these in 

 speaking of the bacteria of fermentations and of 

 chromogenes, which according to Cohn and Pas- 

 teur constitute as many physiological species as 

 there are different fermentations and colorations. 

 According to Weigert, there are an infinite number 

 of sorts of bacteria, arising from the fact that each 

 Micrococcus assumes special vital properties ac- 

 cording to the medium in which it finds itself, and 

 consequently gives birth, as the result of decompo- 

 sitions which it effects in taking possession of oxy- 

 gen, to various chemical products acting as morbid 

 viruses. 



Influence of the Preceding Notions upon Thera- 

 peutics. — We have just shown that for many au- 

 thors -germs are the origin of the greater part of 

 the complications of wounds, it was then natural 

 that they should seek to prevent their develop- 

 ment. In order to attain this result, the clinicians 

 have used means either physical or chemical. 



M. Alphonse Gue"rin, founding his practice upon 

 the ideas of Pasteur regarding the possibility of 

 filtering and purifying the air by passing it through 

 cotton-wadding, conceived the idea of covering 

 wounds with a considerable quantity of cotton, and 

 realized — the fact cannot be denied — an immense 

 progress in the treatment of severe traumatisms. 



