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studies on fermentation had given him the key to the nature of the
infectious diseases。 It is a remarkable fact that the distinguished English
philosopher of the seventeenth century； the man who more than anyone
else of his century appreciated the importance of the experimental method；
Robert Boyle； had said that he who could discover the nature of ferments
and fermentation； would be more capable than anyone else of explaining
the nature of certain diseases。
In 1876 there appeared in Cohn's 〃Beitrage zur Morphologie der
Pflanzen〃 （II； 277…310）； a paper on the 〃AEtiology of Anthrax〃 by a
German district physician in Wollstein； Robert Koch； which is memorable
in our literature as the starting point of a new method of research into the
causation of infectious diseases。 Koch demonstrated the constant presence
of germs in the blood of animals dying from the disease。 Years before；
those organisms had been seen by Pollender and Davaine； but the epoch…
making advance of Koch was to grow those organisms in a pure culture
outside the body； and to produce the disease artificially by inoculating
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animals with the cultures Koch is really our medical Galileo； who； by
means of a new technique；pure cultures and isolated staining；
introduced us to a new world。 In 1878； followed his study on the
〃AEtiology of Wound Infections；〃 in which he was able to demonstrate
conclusively the association of micro…organisms with the disease。 Upon
those two memorable researches made by a country doctor rests the
modern science of bacteriology。
The next great advance was the discovery by Pasteur of the possibility
of so attenuating； or weakening； the poison that an animal inoculated had a
slight attack； recovered and was then protected against the disease。 More
than eighty years had passed since on May 14； 1796； Jenner had
vaccinated a child with cowpox and proved that a slight attack of one
disease protected the body from a disease of an allied nature。 An occasion
equally famous in the history of medicine was a day in 1881； when Pasteur
determined that a flock of sheep vaccinated with the attenuated virus of
anthrax remained well； when every one of the unvaccinated infected from
the same material had died。 Meanwhile； from Pasteur's researches on
fermentation and spontaneous generation； a transformation had been
initiated in the practice of surgery； which； it is not too much to say； has
proved one of the greatest boons ever conferred upon humanity。 It had
long been recognized that； now and again； a wound healed without the
formation of pus； that is； without suppuration； but both spontaneous and
operative wounds were almost invariably associated with that process； and；
moreover； they frequently became putrid； as it was then called；infected；
as we should say；the general system became involved and the patient
died of blood poisoning。 So common was this； particularly in old； ill…
equipped hospitals； that many surgeons feared to operate； and the general
mortality in all surgical cases was very high。 Believing that it was from
outside that the germs came which caused the decomposition of wounds；
just as from the atmosphere the sugar solution got the germs which caused
the fermentation； a young surgeon in Glasgow； Joseph Lister； applied the
principles of Pasteur's experiments to their treatment。 From Lister's
original paper＇*＇ I quote the following： 〃Turning now to the question how
the atmosphere produces decomposition of organic substances； we find
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that a flood of light has been thrown upon this most important subject by
the philosophic researches of M。 Pasteur； who has demonstrated by
thoroughly convincing evidence that it is not to its oxygen or to any of its
gaseous constituents that the air owes this property； but to minute particles
suspended in it； which are the germs of various low forms of life； long
since revealed by the microscope； and regarded as merely accidental
concomitants of putrescence； but now shown by Pasteur to be its essential
cause； resolving the complex organic compounds into substances of
simpler chemical constitution； just as the yeast…plant converts sugar into
alcohol and carbonic acid。〃 From these beginnings modern surgery took
its rise； and the whole subject of wound infection； not only in relation to
surgical diseases； but to child…bed fever； forms now one of the most
brilliant chapters in the history of preventive medicine。
＇*＇ Lancet； March 16； 1867。 ＇Cf。 Camac： Epoch…making Contributions；
etc。； 1909； p。 7。Ed。＇
With the new technique and experimental methods； the discovery of
the specific germs of many of the more important acute infections
followed each other with bewildering rapidity： typhoid fever； diphtheria；
cholera； tetanus； plague； pneumonia； gonorrhoea and； most important of
all； tuberculosis。 It is not too much to say that the demonstration by Koch
of the 〃bacillus tuberculosis〃 （1882） is； in its far…reaching results； one of
the most momentous discoveries ever made。
Of almost equal value have been the researches upon the protozoan
forms of animal life； as causes of disease。 As early as 1873； spirilla were
demonstrated in relapsing fever。 Laveran proved the association of
haematozoa with malaria in 1880。 In the same year； Griffith Evans
discovered trypanosomes in a disease of horses and cattle in India； and the
same type of parasite was found in the sleeping sickness。 Amoebae were
demonstrated in one form of dysentery； and in other tropical diseases
protozoa were discovered； so that we were really prepared for the
announcement in 1905； by Schaudinn； of the discovery of a protozoan
parasite in syphilis。 Just fifty years had passed since Pasteur had sent in his
paper on 〃Lactic Acid Fermentati