Ubiquitous Microbes

Dr. Manfredi has been announcing1 some disquieting facts concerning1 the omnipresence of fatal microbes. In the busy thoroughfare of a crowded city he has found 1,000,000,000 microbes to a gram of dust, and in the dirtiest streets 5,000,000,000 per gram. A large number of disease-producing microbes were found arnong these, the number of such morbific germs being directly proportional to the aggregate number of microbes. Of f orty-two cases in which he inoculated guinea pigs with Xeapolitan dust he detected the tubercle bacilli (the germ of consumption) in three, the bacillus of pus in eight. the bacillus of tetanus in two, the bacillus of malignant asdema in four, and other fatal bacilli. A medical paper sufjirests that the streets of American oitiee should be tested for microbes, and is confident that in mam' of them a harvest as rich in variety and doadliness as wasgarnered in Naples could easily be securcd. Em phasis is given to Dr. Manfredi's alarminr statistics by the resolta oí some investigations which have been carriedon by Prof. Uffelman with respect to the canying of cholera bacilli by means of letters, postal carda, etc. lic in! fected a letter with the bacilli and put it in the ordinary way into a post bag. In the course of twenty-four hvurs the letter was taken out and the bacilli were Still living. ïhey werc also found still living on postal carda twenty hours after infection, but on coins they seeraed to die withgreat nipidity. The reason for thisdifference eould not be discovered. On woolen and linen Í stuffs the bacilli enjoyed a particularly long life. The busiest and most effective infection carrier was found to be the common fly. A fly which had been Lnfected by being put on to a mass of cholera bacilli ivas placed on a pieee of beef. When the beef was ezamined Boon after it oontaibed an enormous qnantity of living bacteria. Prof. Uiïelman deduces from experiments the oft-taught lesson that in time of epidemics the most seriipulous cleanliness is the best safeguanl.