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HOUSEHOLD BACTERIOLOGY 
Effect 
of Cold 
Formation 
ox Pus 
It is fortunate for us that there is such a force that 
is hungry and ever seeking what and how many it 
may devour, for we can never know just how much 
we owe to them for our freedom from disease. As 
long as these white globules are numerous and active, 
so long man seems to have one powerful guardian 
against any invading germ, however poisonous. Any¬ 
thing which affects these white guardians unfavorably 
lessens their power to protect man. 
Cold paralyzes them and gives the bacteria, if pres¬ 
ent, a better chance to escape from being overcome, 
and we are thus more subject to their attacks. Win¬ 
ter’s cold increases the prevalence of many germ dis¬ 
eases, not usually by increasing the number or virulence 
of the germs themselves, but by decreasing in some 
persons the power of these leucocytes—the guardians 
of our health. 
Insufficient clothing, or insufficient food which is 
the body’s fuel, may thus favor the attacks or the 
spread of germ diseases. Very often these phagocytes 
lose their lives in resisting our foes. Then they, with 
their victims and the dead tissue cells, form pus or 
“matter,” which children even know should be “let 
out” in order that the tissues may heal. 
The formation of pus is well illustrated by the 
action of a sliver. We may or may not know that the 
tiny speck of wood entered the flesh. But it is likely 
to carry in with it dirt and therefore bacteria. The 
phagocytes rally to surround this newcomer. The flesh 
