The quest of the germ...

Dedication

THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED TO

THE MEMBERS OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, PARIS^ FRANCE^

AND

Preface

This is no slouch of a book. It is worth its price to any man or woman for the information it contains, which can be found in no other book. There is a good deal of reading scattered along through it that will be interesting to everybody, especially to those whom it may concern. The style is plain, simple, concise and direct— no beating about the bush here. There is one page in the book which is worth twenty times its price to any physician, and the whole is of greater value to the practitioner than larger and more pretentious volumes; in fact, as stated in the following pages somewhere, no member of the profession— eminent or humble— is fully equipped to practice the healing art who is not conversant with the principles of medicine and scientific knowledge herein set forth. All physicians who read the book will admit the truth of that statement, because its contents supply a defect in their education.

The book has then great merit as an educational work, and as such wonders will be wrought by it. It is an impossibility to demonstrate that the theories propounded by me are erroneous, whereas all other theories of the diseases discussed herein have been proved to be without basis in observed facts. It is a great work then— modestly as it makes the claim— that at one effectual sweep wipes out all that has ever been written on the subject of these diseases. That tickles me hugely; that is something I enjoy immensely. Here is my little feeble bantling Gangas-

PREFACE. 11

thenia that I have been tending and dandling and taken ont for an airing occasionally during the past twenty odd years that will suddenly bloom out into full growth and be able bodied enough to knock the stuffin' out of all the other ideas ever advanced. Oh! yes, my bantling can say to all the authors and writers who have produced such a flood of stuff: Carry your wares to the junk shop ! Your ideas have been superseded and rendered obsolete by me! All hail to Gangasthenia ! Bow down your heads ye Eminences and ye Hyas Tyhees and ye others of that ilk and acknowledge the supremacy of an idea.

Most assuredly this is an educational work which will t-^ach the people of this country some most valuable truths about the nature and treatment of cholera and yellow fever ; it will educate congress on these subjects and the law makers will be willing to pass a law enacting that those diseases are not due to germs, or, which is the same thing, they will pass an act abolishing quarantine against them. Then I can point with pride to the fact that the science of medicine is actually making some progress, not by the discovery of new germs, but by the recognition of the fact that those and other diseases are not due to germs. Gangasthenia will be victorious and I will triumph then. FoT its educational effect and for the great good it will accomplish Ihis modest little book may be justly termed a great scientific work.

The reader will observe that the idea conveyed by the title is strictly followed on two distinct lines which cross and recross each other at various points. The bacterists, it is shown, are still at the quest of the germ in the bodies of human beings, while I am pursuing the same object in the minds of the bacterists. The results of our quests are different. I will have succeeded in driving the germ from their minds while they will never succeed in finding the object of their quest because it does not exist elsewhere than in their minds.

There may be one or two solecisms in the book but judicious

Ill PREFACE.

persons will overlook them because of my evident modesty, sincerity and honesty. It may be objected that my style is not dignified. Dignity of this day is due to moral sclerosis of the spinal cord or to hypocrisy. I am affected with neither the disease nor the vice— accordingly my style is not dignified— so I accept the imputation. But never mind the manner of the presentation but give due consideration to the matter presented. Style is nothing and science is everything. Here is science, "There is no science unless under certain given conditions we can say precisely what will happen: we can predict only when we have seen the causal relations. ' ' The reader will note in the following pages that the author makes some predictions. He is enabled to do this because he understands the causal relations of disease.

Eugene H. Wood, M. D.

National Home, Wis.

SECOND PREFACE.

It was my intention to publish this book last year, but the indifference and poor judgment of publishers and lack of funds prevented that consummation. The book contains some cotemporaneous allusions which have now become post-temporaneous. They may stand because the whirligig of time does not change the point of view.

The artist has depicted in the frontispiece the difficulty one meets in endeavoring to introduce a new idea to the world. I have had experience in such endeavors. In 1901 I published a small volume entitled:— "Religion and Authority." In my book I defined Authority to be, '^The attributive quality which enables its possessors to command the obeyance of those subject to them and to enforce their mandates." To the philosophic mind authority is nothing more, nothing less than the idea conveyed by those few words, and yet the world persists in its acceptation of its erroneous concept of the nature of authority and will so persist for several generations to come.

I have had other experience in my efforts to enlighten the human mind. In 1880 I coined the word " Gangliasthenia " and wrote an article on the subject which was published in the "Michigan Medical News" of Detroit. Now, after a lapse of twenty-five years, I consult the dictionaries in vain to find my word. I find indeed every derivative of ganglion but the fools who compile dictionaries have omitted the most important one, to wit, the word coined by me. They have omitted the word which in its profundity and comprehensive significance is in itself a valuable contribution to science. Since the word is my coinage and as its present orthography does not suit me I will elide the syllable "li" from it and I hereby ordain that hereafter the word shall be written "Gangasthenia"— and let all word-mongers take notice.

Here is a list of the words derived from the root ganglion : Gangliac, Ganglial, Gangliate, Gangliated, Gangliform, Gan-

11 SECOND PREFACE

glioform, Ganglionary, Ganglionic, Gangliar, Ganglionated, Ganglioblast, Gangiioneura, Ganglioneural, Ganglionitis, Gangliopathy, Gangliopathic, Ganglions, Ganglionless, Ganglioid, Ganglionized. By cancellation we can reduce these twenty words to five and by this method relieve the overburdened vocabulary of fifteen useless words. Some of these words convey no rational idea, and some are repetitions. To these five add gangasthenia— the most important member of the group— and these six will be sufficient for all purposes.

The medical dictionaries have recognized gangasthenia. In Gould's Medical Lexicon (1899) it is defined, "Ganglionic asthenia; neurasthenia due to defect of ganglionic function."

In the American Medical Dictionary gangasthenia is defined to be, ''Diminished ganglionic nerve power, neurasthenia." The funniest thing about this definition is that it is preceded by the letter L in parenthesis to indicate that the word is derived from the Latin: whereas it is composed of two Greek words, as everybody knows who has any pretensions to scholarship.

These two definitions are defective by reason of their insufficiency and indefiniteness and this defect needs to be remedied in the next editions of those dictionaries. Let it not be stated that gangasthenia is neurasthenia, for that does not define it. It should be stated that it is the basis of the ganglionic diseases : that it may be local or general, chronic or acute and a list of the ganglionic diseases may be added. Also state that there are two forms of the condition veno-motor and arterio-motor according to the set of motors that are affected by the environment.

Therefore I demand a place for Gangasthenia in the dictionaries, and I demand that it be given a correct definition, otherwise the lexicographers shall hear from me again.

National Home, Wis. Eugene H. Wood, M. D.

January 1906.

THE QUEST OP THE GERM.

GERMS.

The quest of the germ continues. It has been going on for many years. Germs are numerous, they are found everywhere. They are divided into two classes: the nocuous or pathogenic or disease producing and the innocuous or non-pathogenic or non-producers of disease. There are several genera and numerous species, but the classification is not complete. Few persons have any conception of the size of germs. Germs are minute but atoms are much more minute. A Frenchman instituted a comparison to convey an adequate idea of the size of an atom. He said that in size an atom was to an orange as an orange is to the earth. A germ is larger than an atom and some idea of its size may be obtained from this comparison; an atom is to a germ as a germ is to a house or to a brewery or to St. Paul's cathedral or to Mont Blanc or some other large object.

There are large collections of germs in some of the laboratories devoted to bacterism, the largest is perhaps in the laboratory of the Centripetal Medical university. Let us inquire about the matter.

''Hello! Central! give me the Centripetal Medical universi-

ty."

''Hello! Yes. I want Dr. Thingumbob, professor of bacterism. ' '

"Hello! Is that Professor Thingumbob?— Yes, well I aan an old physician and I never learned much about germs when I attended medical college and I want my son to know all about them. I am thinking of sending him to attend your university. Are you well equipped for imparting a knowledge of germs?"

''Yes, we have every appliance needed for the study of germs and we have more mounted specimens than exist anywhere else, so your son, if he comes here, will have opportunities for study and advantages for acquainting himself with the nature of germs which he can not obtain elsewhere."

''How many mounted specimens have you?"

"We have three million nine hundred and seventy-five thousand eight hundred and seventy-four. We expect soon to reach our fourth million. We have been in pursuit of germs for many years and we are still faithfully working at our favorite quest, for it is by the discoveries we make and only by t^em that the progress of medical science can be noted."

"I suppose the discovery of a new germ— one hitherto unknown—is a source of great rejoicing among such devoted scientists. ' '

"Yes, indeed. The discovery of a new germ immortalizes a man. My own unworthy name has been bestowed by my confreres on one bacterium and on one bacillus."

"Then I am to understand that you have a microbe which you yourself discovered and which you have distinguished by the appellation of bacterium Thingumbobii and another which you have labeled bacillus Thingumbobii? So your name was bestowed on the germ for the honor of having discovered it and it was honored with your name to distinguish it from other germs. Professor, I Qongratulate you. You and the germ are equally honored and distinguished."

"Sir! What do you mean?"

"I mean that I do not believe in the germ theory to the same extent that you do and I have no son. I 've "

Bang!

BACTEEISTS.

It is amusing to observe a lot of bacterists when they get together. Each brings his microscope and mounted specimens and they discuss the difficulties of the quest and proudly exhibit to each other the specimens each has captured or obtained by purchase from or by exchange with other bacterists.

''Here," says one, ''is a specimen of the comma bacillus which I obtained from that eminent man of science Prof. Koch himself." And he exhibits a slide on which is mounted a lot of the stems of the ciliated epithelium of the bowels. The cilia of these have been washed off by the serous discharge from the bowels, and when the watery evacuations become profuse the mucous membrane is denuded of what remains of the epithelium which the tin god of the bacterists gathered from the rice water evacuations of choleraic patients and labeling them comma bacilli assigned to them the function of causing the disease. And this is what the fools fondly call science. There is no reasoning in this method from cause to effect, but the effect is seized and blindly labeled cause.

"Here," says another, ''is the germ of yellow fever discovered by Dr. Sanarelli of Brazil and sent to me by that honored scientist— specimen prepared and mounted under his own supervision. ' '

"I beg your pardon," said a second bacterist, "but Sanarelli did not discover the true germ of yellow fever. My friend Dr. Soandso of Brazos had that honor and I show you a specimen of his preparation."

"But," interposed a third bacterist, "neither Sanarelli, nor Soandso, but that celebrated expert on yellow fever, Weissnichts, who has done so much to extend our knowledge of microbes in and around New Orleans. I show a specimen prepared by him.'*

Then while they looked and examined they wrangled and could come to no definite conclusion as to which was the true germ.

At this juncture a wise bacterist spoke up and said: **Now I will show you the true germ of yellow fever— the real thing as discovered by the sole, solitary, and only: by that unique and pre-eminent savant— the one living expert on yellow fever Dr. Eugene H. Wood. ' ' And he put his slide on the microscope. They all took a long look at the slide and when they were through they exclaimed as one man: ''And that is the real thing!"

And the exhibitor said, ' ' It is, and we will prove it. ' ' There was nothing on the slide.

MORE ABOUT GERMS.

A knowledge of the physical nature of germs is being gradually acquired by the untiring and steadfast work of the bacterists— of course they are paid for their labor and are expected to show some returns for the money received. But the vast amount of money paid to professional bacterists for their services and on account of their researches yields less adequate results than that which is derived from the expenditure of money in any other field of human effort.

In Chicago recently three prominent bacterists have devoted much time and money to experiments as to the longevity of the supposed typhoid bacillus in the sewage of that city. The prime cause of their operations was to prove that this particular bacillus perished in its transit through the waters of the drainage canal long before it reached the Mississippi river: that it had no chance whatever of surviving the trip to St. Louis and of begetting intestinal troubles in the good citizens of that place when they swallowed it in the water from the river which they drank ; and it was a foregone conclusion that with the time, and the money at their disposal and with the appliances which they could devise they would be able to establish their premiss. They did it and proved beyond the peradventure of a doubt that the supposed typhoid bacillus could live only two days in the water of the Chicago river contaminated by Chicago sewage. This result is announced triumphantly, with much rhetorical flourish and blare of words trumpeting the fame of the discoverer—a professor in the Midway university. The discovery will bring much renown to that institution and will further swell the soul of its worthy president with pride. He will wave the little rush-light he carries with great glee and will fancy that the rays of science thence proceeding will illuminate the dark places of the world— instead they do not even penetrate to the benighted corners of Chicago.

CHICAGO DAMPHOOL REPORTER.

The writer of the article announcing this discovery states that it is one "whose results will entail important and lasting benefits to medical science"; that it will be added "to the book of science" (what book is that?) "the most authentic annals of all things mundane" : that "no such important bacteriological experiments have been made" (what? never?) "as those whose results have led to the discovery."

If this is amusing it becomes extremely funny when we find the reporter, in the exuberance of his fancy, attributing moral and other qualities to this supposed typhoid bacillus by characterizing it as "treacherous," "sinister," "deadly and dastardly," "malignant and hateful," "dangerous," "squirming, wiggling, bob-tailed," "'scoundrelly." Where? oh! where was the editor's blue pencil?

The article referred to appeared in "The Chicago Chronicle" of Sunday, Feb. 14th, 1903. It is not surprising that the reporter or space-writer was allowed to deliver himself of so much nonsense, for the Chicago Sunday papers are engaged in a most strenuous rivalry as to which shall furnish and inflict upon the patient and long-suffering people of the city of grouches and grafters the largest amount of sludge for a nickel.

FACTS ABOUT THE TYPHOID BACILLUS.

Now as a matter of fact it has been noted as the result of clinical observation and necroscopic examination that cases of typhoid fever occur in which there are no characteristic manifestations of the disease ; that cases of typhoid fever occur which on post mortem examination do not show the typical lesion of the disease. Further, it is emphasized by a prominent bacterist that typhoid bacilli may develop in the intestines of an individual and pass from the same without causing typhoid fever and that an individual may become the bearer and distributer of the infective agent without being himself infected. The bacterists account for these anomalous proceedings by the enunciation of a sophistical principle that infection does not infect unless the vitality of the individual has been reduced to the point of least resistance. And, pray Messieurs Bacterists, does this principle apply to the infection of smallpox, scarlatina, measles, diptheria or any of the truly infectious diseases?

It appears then that typhoid fever may occur and no bacillus be present in the blood or discharges of the person as a cause of the disease ! that the bacilli may be present and pass away without infecting the individual : that the fever may occur and the individual may die and necroscopy reveals no typical lesion of the disease. Hence it is possible, nay it is highly probable that typhoid fever is not caused by the so called typhoid bacillus, but by some autogenic virus the nature and action of which has not been ascertained.

There are occasional local epidemics of what is termed typhoid fever in this country. And these are usually traced to contaminated water supply. In view of the well known inability of the bacterists to diagnosticate between typhus and typhoid fevers, and of the preceding facts it is very probable that the water supply may be contaminated by some poison of a vegetable or animal origin sufficiently virulent in its nature to cause a fever analagous to typhoid and mistakenly recognized as that disease. Even though the typhoid baeillns may be found in the water it is illogical for a scientific person to attribute such epidemics to that cause— but not for the bacterists, for, they are nothing if not illogical.

If these conclusions are correct — and the author considers that they are unassailable then the hulla-balloo about the typhoid bacillus in Chicago and St. Louis is based on a figment and the people of St. Louis may as well relinquish all concern about the contamination of the water of the ]\Iississippi river by the waters of the Chicago drainage canal. They will doubtless adopt this view, moved thereto by the scientific opinions herein presented by the author, who though not recognized as such is the only living expert on certain medical questions which require for their solution mental acumen, perspicacity and profundity of thought.

If the officials in Chicago had consulted the author, as an expert, on the question which has bothered them so much and has caused so much expense to them he would have settled the matter some time ago. The citizens of St. Louis will not worry about the dangers liable to spring from the imbibition of Llississippi water when they read the opinions herein set forth. They have the author's permission to publish the opinion for the benefit of the numerous visitors to the Exposition. The author also gratuitously gives notice that if any ^dsitor apprehends that Mississippi water is dangerous to health he will find an antidote to all germs which it may contain in a remedy well known to all and sundry the citizens of St. Louis, to wit, St. Louis whisky.

COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH REYNOLDS.

The Health Commissioner of Chicago is a most efficient officer, and he has his own troubles with the germs in his jurisdiction. The pneumococcus and the typhoid bacillus v/orry him most. In the summer of 1902 there was an epidemic of fever on the west side in the district known as the Ghetto.

Disease always lurks where people are ill-fed, ill-clad and illhoused. This was the case with the majority in that district. But there was the deadly germ in the water. So the Health Officer inserted in all the newspapers a monitory notice addressed to all the people in Chicago : ' ' Boil the water ! ' ' Then he hoisted the black flag over all the pumping stations along the lake front. He kept them flying all summer. Death lurked in the water, and he was doing his duty in warning the people. He experiences much satisfaction with himself when he does his duty and combats the deadly germ. One day he sent three inspectors to the west side. One carried a two-quart sprinkler containing kerosene; one carried a notebook; the third had nothing to carry. They were instructed to examine the fruit for sale on the stands and in the stores; germs settle on decaying fruit and if they found any such they were directed to sprinkle the kerosene over it and render it unfit for consumption. The inspectors found some cases of spoiled fruit and some bunches of decaying bananas. These they condemned and the kerosene was duly applied to them. The man with the notebook recorded their action and next day a full account of their proceedings was published in all the newspapers with commendatory remarks on the efficiency of the Health Officer, and his corps of inspectors whose energy and activity and bright intelligence are unsurpassible. It is through this well trained body of officers that he carries on his warfare against germs, while he sits in his office and dictates a weekly essay to his typewriter on the prevalence of germs and the methods used to exterminate them which is published in the daily papers regularly on Monday morning.

In these dissertations he descants on the state of the weather. Does a fall of soft, wet snow take place he congratulates the people on the fact that the large flakes as they descend carry with them to the earth all the germs in the air and he announces that the atmosphere has been cleared of them. A cold wave strikes the city and he comes out with an extra bulletin advising all citizens to : " 'Ware the deadly pnenmoeoccus ? " No such thing. He advises them to avoid draughts and exposure to cold. Yet he knows as all bacterists know that the pneumococcus is the cause of pneumonia and that it is an infectious disease. Why then does he not warn the people to avoid this ' ' treacherous, " ' ' sinister, " " deadly and dastardly," "malignant and hateful," ''scoundrelly," "squirming, wiggling, bob-tailed" germ— the pneumococcus? Does he not know that this is a wise and wary bird, and that when the large wet soft flakes of snow begin to fall it gets under cover and ensconces itself in dry and safe nooks and corners, whence it watches the passers by upon the streets and when it discovers an individual whose vitality has been reduced to the point of least resistance a colony of these germs beset him and are drawn by inhalation into his lungs— and presto ! that condition of things is set up which is recognized as pneumonia? The pneumococcus understands his business and he can circumvent all the health officers in creation and is liveliest and gets in his deadliest work in midwinter when the weather is coldest, when the wind is bleakest and bitterest. No exotic creature this, like the yellow fever germ which the first frost untimely nips. The pneumococcus is the hardiest and most vigorous of germs and fairly riots in the coldest climates. It revels in Alaska and in far off St. Petersburg. It delights to ravage large cities like New York and Boston and Chicago. Well may Commissioner Reynolds apply that metaphorical title: "The New Captain of the Men of Death" to pneumonia. It is appropriate. Meanwhile the pneumococcus enjoys its proud pre-eminence as being more destructive to human life than its cousin germane the bacillus tuberculosis, and laughs with scorn at the futile efforts made by health officers with their bulletins and warnings to stay its devastating ravages among the children of men by which not only infants and aged but those in the prime of life are carried to the grave.

VIEWS OF PHYSICIANS.

Meanwhile what are the health officers doing to check the destruction of human life by this devilish germ? Oh! they issue bulletins about the mortality from pneumonia and make comparisons between the number of deaths from this disease last week and last month and the corresponding periods last year and the year before, and the previous year and, the preceding year and so on; and they add greatly to statistical information thereby but not an iota to medical knowledge. There is a great sameness about these bulletins and a great lack of originality, but they have a certain value — chiefly to the health officer, for thereby he earns his salary.

And they actually have the gall— these health officers, presumably intelligent men to declare that "pneumonia is an infectious disease ! " So blinded are these bacterists by the absurd dogmas evolved by themselves in regard to germs that it is impossible for them to take or entertain rational views of any disease. The fundamental principle has been adopted that all diseases are caused by germs, and they are striving to prove this absurd notion to be correct by inconsistencies and sophistications the like of which can be found nowhere else in any productions of the human mind except in the speeches of Wm. J. Bryan.

A fool doctor up in Madison, Wis., has recently advanced the idea, ' ' made the astounding declaration ' ' that appendicitis is of microbic origin and that it is contagious. About the same time another fool doctor, before the Academy of ]\Iedicine in Paris stated ''that it was the abuse of meat diet which was the cause of appendicitis." Per contra, a surgeon in Seattle reports that he operated in two cases of appendicitis and found in each appendix removed a single bird shot, supposedly swallowed by the patients when eating game. Here are two theories based on the products of irrational imaginations and the groundwork of a third which has for its basis the logical deductions to be drawn from a correct observation of physical facts. The bacterists will accept the first theory— will swallow it whole and never wink an eye. Those may follow them who will.

Xow we will suppose a patient to be sick with pneumonia, lying on a bed in his room at his home. According to the germ theory his every exhalation carries forth from his lungs, where they breed with great rapidity, several millions, more or less, of full fledged pneumococci, into the atmosphere of that room, where they float around until the air is super-saturated with them. Xow admit into that room, one by one, a dozen or five hundred persons — non-immune to pneumonia and how many of the dozen or of the five hundred who had been admitted to that room and had breathed that germ-laden air would be infected with pneumonia? Not one.

Now take the case of a man with smallpox under like conditions and admit a dozen or five hundred non-irmnune persons to his room under like circumstances and how many of the dozen or five hundred would be infected with smallpox? Every one. Common sense, reason, human experience and science all unite in declaring that if such experiments could or might be made the results would be as stated and no man may gainsay the conclusion to be drawn from the suppositious experiments: — that pneumonia is not a contagious disease and those who would classify it as such are fools.

The germ theory is responsible for the excessive mortality of pneumonia. It is very gravely stated in the medical text-books of the day that "the pneumococcus is the cause of pneumonia." In fact that is the opening sentence of the chapter on "Pneumonia" in a certain textbook which has come under the author 's notice. The principles of etiology are utterly subverted by such pronouncements as this. The teachers in the schools are men who have been indoctrinated with the dogmas of the bacterists and of course they teach the same idea to their pupils. The result is that the physicians of this generation absolutely do not know liow to treat pneumonia and the consequence is that most pneumonic patients die.