III. 



SPECIFIC DISEASES AND SPECIFIC 

 BACTERIA. 



AS practicing physicians we are always interested 

 in the question : What is the status of ooir knowl- 

 edge of. the relation between individual diseases and 

 specific bacteria? In other words: What do we now 

 know of the specific causes of the infectious diseases? 



It is not my intention to review the whole field, but 

 confining myself to the more important diseases which 

 affect mankind, to endeavor to answer the question: 

 W^hat do we know of their germ origin? 



It cannot be said that any striking discoveries of 

 new disease-producing germs have been made of late; 

 but much has been done in solving some vexed ques- 

 tions and in clearing up some uncertain points. 



During the fijst few years after the new methods 

 had come into use, and under the stimulus of the 

 epoch-making work of Koch and Pasteur, discoveries, 

 came thick and fasti Indeed, it almost seemed as 

 though one could not gain repute in bacteriology 

 without first having attached his nanie to some new 

 germ. Of late years progress in this line has been. 



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