BACTERIA AND SUXLIGHT. 249 



then the Ties de Leruis on the dark waves bkished in 

 the rosv light, and the summits of the Esterel were 

 aglow, and Old Cannes seemed ablaze. Gradualh' the 

 clouds thinned, yielding to the ^■ictorious sun, then the^' 

 dissolved into golden mist and vanished, and the whole 

 sky was full of radiance. 



'V\''c follow the road to iVntibes, which is now il- 

 Inmined hv the sun. This abundance of light gladdens 

 the heart, raises new hopes, and certainly contributes 

 inuch towards healing the sick who sojourn here. Such 

 is the cheerino; influence of the sunlight. It is more- 

 over a powerful antiseptic, tor it destro\'s the germs of 

 those lower organisms which are engendered hv putri- 

 faction and decomposition. Experiments have pro\'ed that 

 bacteria can be completely destro^'cd hv sunlight. If 

 some of these be placed in the sunlight, and others 

 kept in the shade, the former will be killed while the 

 latter will continue to increase. In like manner intense 

 sunlight disinlects the washing and clothing of sick people, 

 and it also purities lakes and rivers, pro\'ided that the 

 water is not so heavih' charged with impurities as to 

 prevent the ra^'s of light from penetrating. The germs 

 also which float in the air are mosth* killed b\' sunlight. 

 Very true is the Italian proverb which sa^'s, "'Dove non 

 entra il sole, entra il medico". Were this saving not true, 

 inauA' southern countries would be filled with un- 

 endurable miasmas, and infectious diseases would incessanth 

 devastate them. How little do the\' trouble in the South 

 about disinfecting! Modern h\'gicnc is the child of northern 

 latitudes, and it is in those countries where the sun is so 



