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Hcfwa. BaKiinore Physician fltas
Beevten the Peisteiir Record.
MONG the magnificent achievements
At of the twentieth century none perhaps
will prove so remarkable, so great
a boon to humanity as the battle, and resultant
victory, of science over disease.
And when the records are made, and the
book of great and good deeds completed, it
is certain that in large letters will be writ the
names of the Baltimore Pasteur Institute and
its director, Dr. N. G. Keirle, Sr. For at the
Baltimore Institute has been waging one of
the fiercest battles made in America by the
army of physicians and surgeons the battle
against the mysterious and terrible disease,
rabies. And success shines gloriously upon
the work of the aged doctor.
Recently Dr. Keirle completed fhe treat
ment for the prevention of rabies on his thou
sandth case. Of those treated, 632 were bit
ten by animals absolutely proven rabid, and
wonderful record of the entire number
only two persons died. And the death of one
was said to be due to Bright s disease, and not
to hydrophobia.
' Dr. Keirle is one of the most remarkable
personalities in the world of medicine. For
twenty-five years and more he has been post
mortem physician of Baltimore, and has prob
ably dissected more corpses than any other liv
ing member of his profession. He is deeply,
vitally absorbed in his work and the won
derful success of the treatment for rabies gives
him a niche second only to that of Pasteur,
originator of the treatment.
LONG before the Christian era men of medicine
puzzled their heads about rabies, or hydrophobia,
a strange and inexplicable disease, for which
there seemed no cure.
In the fifth century before Christ Democrltus men
tioned It; Aristotle referred to It in the fourth century.
did Xenophon, Ovid, Horace, Plutarch and other
?ts.
Yet not until nearly twenty centuries passed after the
beginning of the Christian era did science achieve a vic
tory over the frightful disease. And It la the crowning
victory of science the most amazing and wonderful of its
many vlctorlei.
How easy It is to fight one's foes in the daylight, to
know where to direct one's shafts, how to study every
point of vantage and make deliberate and carefully
planned attacks But how difficult the battle In the dark
ness, the hit or miss fusillade! And this has been the
battle of science against rabies I
GERM OF RABIES STILL UNDETECTED
Science ha fought and conquered many maladies it
has fought and conquered typhoid, pneumonia and diph
theria. But first It discovered the germs, it studied the
habitat, manner of living and appetites of the malignant
creatures. Bacteriologists actually photographed and
measured them. But no one has ever been able to de
tect the germ of hydrophobia; It has shrouded Itself in
Imponetrjbla mystery, waging Its destructive warfare on
nerve and brain force In unknown and subtle way. Nearly
always It has proven fatal.
Twenty-five years ago the death rate among persons
bitten by rabid dogs was 60 per cent. No one who de
veloped the disease was ever saved, so far as the records
of medicine show. Yet since the adoption of the Pasteur
treatment the death rate haa gone down to less than 1
per cent. I
What a debt does not the world owe to the pioneers
of this wonderful campaign to Pasteur and his co-workers,
Roux, Chamberland, Oraucher and Thulller, who died
in Egypt while studying the bubonlo plague; to Metchnl
kbff and Babes, of Bucharest; Strauss, Calmette, Yersln,
Oamaleia and Galtler: Tlzzoni and Centannla, of Italy;
Victor Horsley, of England, and Nathaniel Keirle, of
America,
The success of Dr. Keirle at the Baltimore Institute
surpasses even that of the institute In Paris, compara
tively speaking. At the Paris Institute more than 29,000
eases have been treated. The death rate was said to be
one-third of one per cent But at Baltimore the rate haa
been reduced to one-fifth of one per cent.
ut- we ve no cause to Doast,- laugns tr. Keirle,
shall not have until we have treated 29.000."
nmnaj isons. however, dace the Baltimore Institute
the head of the laboratories or tne world. In 1902 the
average failures of the twenty-four laboratories In the
world were 423 out of 64,620 cases, or four-fifths of one"
per cent At that time Dr. Kelrle's record of failure was
one-fifth of one per cent And this admirable record he
haa maintained.
The recent report of Dr. Kelrle of the treatment of
rases M one ttf the nwt anjailnsl. 4itfeHiTr medical
documents of years. 1
As complete records as possible have been made of all
persona treated, the location of the wounds and the con
dition or the animal which. Inflicted, .the bite. Of the
THE OREGON. SUNDAY.
cases treated 658 were bitten by animals proven rabid by
cerebral Inoculation of rabbits. Other animals or human
beings developed rabies from the bite of animals which
inflicted wounds of seventy-four cases; there were symp
toms of rabies In animals which attacked 103 of the cases,
but these were not demonstrated. There was no reliable
history of 161 cases, and thirty-four were wounds not the
results Of bites. Inoculation was made Into rabbits from
animals which Inflicted wounds on forty cases, but there
were no results.
Mtost of the wounds Inflicted were on the upper parts
of the bodies of the patients. Experiments have proven
that rabies more' often develops from such wounds than
those In the lower extremities of the body.
It la believed that when an animal bites through cloth
ing the garment often absorbs the greater portion of the
poison. Of the persons treated. 71 were males, 281 females;
823, or S3 per cent., of the patients treated were 10 years of
age or younger. The youngest case was a child 7 months
old and the oldest 82 years. Wounds were Inflicted by
dogs In 874 cases. In 65 cases by cats, In 1 by a calf. In 1
by a pig, In 7 by cows, In 9 by tiorses and In 4 by human
beings. Of those treated, 746 came for treatment the
first week after having been bitten, 146 the second week,
36 the third week, 22 the fourth week, 26 the fifth week, 11
the sixth week, 1 the seventh week, 2 the eighth week
and 6 the tenth week. Of four cases there Is uncertainty
concerning the date. Treatment was discontinued in 40
cases, as the animals observed were found not to be rabid.
In considering the results of the treatment It Is well
to bear In mind tU following facts given by Dr. Kelrle:
In the development of rabies a certain length of time,
or period of Incubation, must elapse before the appearance
of disease in the victim. The period of development de
pends, of course, upon the location and severity of the
bite. Of 6 per cent of mad dog bites the period of Incu
bation Is estimated as less than eighteen days; of 60 per
cent, the period ranges between eighteen and sixty-four
days, and In many cases has extended eighteen months.
After rabies has developed there Is little or no hope of
recovery. The Pasteur treatment is preventive rather
than curative; and treatment must be started before the
disease manifests itself.
In other words, the body must be made immune before
the terrible germs which have been injected in the blood
by the animal begin their disastrous carnage.
The length of treatment of the Pasteur method Is
twenty days, after which fifteen days are required for the
patient to develop immunity to the disease. Thus, if a
man who has been bitten by a mad dog Immediately ap
plies for treatment, and should the germs take thirty
five days to incubate. It is likely he will become Immune
by that time. Among the smaller animals treatment haa
occasionally resulted In recovery after the manifestations
of the disease. But this has never happened with men.
ANTITOXIN TREATMENTS
The Pasteur treatment is analogous to the antitoxin
treatment for diphtheria and other diseases. The pur
pose Is to make the victim Immune, o" create in his blood
a sufficient quantity of . the antitoxin to destroy the
germs. When germs enter the bcJy and begin their
ravages In the blood and nervous system an antitoxin
is produced In the blood to destroy he toxic effect of the
germs. If the body produces suMcient quantity of the
antitoxin to destroy the germs, thJ person recovers. But
if the germs prevail and the toxin poisons the blood
death ensues. Of course, the propagation of the germs
and the energy with which th 1 antitoxin is created de
pend ' upon a person'8 physicalhealth and-nla-power.-Of
' resistance or susceptibility of various diseases.
Upon this principle the Pasteur treatment waa origi
nated. The germs of rabie attack the central nervoua
aysttm. If, before the tlrae of Incubation, a sufficient
Quantity of the antitoxin U formed In the blood the pa-
f, "t 'fe' :::::: ij
JOURNAL,' PORTLANDS SUNDAY HORNING, SEPTEMBER U,'t9&
tlent may recover. Scientists say that the reason that
no one ever has recovered from rabies after It has been
developed Is because the germs, upon Incubation, attack
the blood and nervous system so terrifically, and with
such concentrated vigor, that sufficient antitoxin cannot
be produced to resist the onslaught of the bacilli.
The principle of the Pasteur treatment la thus: A
man Is bitten by a rabid dog. Before the Incubation
of the disease which develops in thirty-five days In about
60 per cent, of all cases the victim la Inoculated with
the germ of rabies in such small quantities that the blood
develops antitoxin slowly, so that, with increased In
jections and an Increased production of the antitoxin, a
sufficient amount Is created to resist the disease by the
time the bacilli are Incubated. The problem which con
fronted Pasteur In the first stages of his experiments was
the regulation of the potency of the virus and the control
of Its strength. Somehow, in the course of his Investiga
tions, he Inadvertently chanced upon an Important dis
covery. He discovered that If the spinal cord of a rabbit which
has died of rabies Is removed and worked In distilled
water and an Injection made Into the brain of another
rabbit the second rabbit will develop rabies and die; that
tl
m
T
HAT a erime-Trilf find one outwas never so
true as it is -today. With the detective and
police forces of th world perfectly organ
ized and with the adoption, of the latest
. ., ., ......,m , ..-r..t....wrhllnt(llfr..v.1 rrrrrnw.
If a third rabbit Is treated in the same way with virus
from the spinal cord of the second rabbit It will develop
rabies in the same period as the other two. However.
If the process is continued, the time of Incubation will
grow shorter until the twenty-fifth rabbit, which will
develop the disease in eight days.
Then the period of development remains the same until
another twenty-fifth rabbit has been Inoculated, and the
period drops to seven days. Then comes a period of
ninety days, after which the time drops to six and re
mains fixed.
The virus now used In the Baltimore Pasteur Insti
tute has attained low removes and is fixed, rabies de
veloping In six days after Inoculation.
At the Baltimore Institute Dr. Kelrle has formulated
a unique and precise treatment. From rabbits which
have died of rabies Induced by an injection of fixed virus
a spinal cord Is t.iken and placed In a sterilized Jar con
taining caustic potash. This is kept In a dark room, at
a temperature of 65 degrees. Each dav a Jar is added
until fifteen Jars are stored, the series of Jars containing
virus graduating In strength from 1 to 15. It has been
discovered that when virus Is subjected to a temperature
of 140 degrees for ten minutes It Is destroyed. A five
minute exposure to a temperature of J1S degrees will
render it sterile, a temperature of 112 degrees for an hour
has a similar effect, while a temperature of 1(8 degrees
vitiates Its potency. An exposure of forty hours to sun
light also destroys It. Heat has an attenuating effect,
and various degrees of potency are obtained by Dr. Kelrle
by his system of subjecting the virus to heat In the dark '
chamber.
THOM f DETECTING CRFE
ccientific methods of' detecting crime, it is well
nigh impossible for the great criminal to escape.
Sooner or later will tighten about hia neck the
noose of the law, and by almost supernatural
methods will the hidden crime be brought to light.
ABOUT a year ago the Abbe Delarue, cure of the
parish of Chatenay, France, disappeared. No
trace of the missing man could be found. The
earth might have swallowed him, so completely
had all traces vanished The people of the town were
wrought up to a feverish pitch. Paris papers offered
great rewards for Information concerning the missing
man. Every indication pointed to murder. The de
tectives exhausted their Ingenuity and gave up.. Then
maglclctans, soothsayers and clairvoyants "were em
ployed. One of them, a Hindoo fakir. Professor Devah, tasted
the stonea of the earth and smelled the air, and an
other Hindoo professor, Ramanah, consulted the stars.
Then a hyena was brought. Hyenas are expert In the
line of finding dead bodies, so It was taken through
out the entire country, every corner was scoured but
no trace of the body of the abbe was found. Then
the thought came to the detectives, the magicians and
the owner of the hyena that perhaps, after all, the
abbe was not dead.- .... . .
The hyena, probably despairing of finding the body,
bit a boy in the leg and killed several sheep and chickens.
This gave the detectives a clue to go after the llvln,
abbe. He was finally found, alive and well, in Bras-",
sets, living with a nun with whom he had eloped.-
Theatric, indeed, ere em of tbe.-nethOd of the ;
French detectives. They look for the little cluee ,
rather than the staring ones. Unlike the English and ;
American detectives, they often do not wait to get
Irrefutable evidence before charging a man with crime,
Thua, when a patient la brought to Dr. Kelrle he
gin with an Injection of the lowest potency And works);!
up to the strongest. He make a solution at nm oi tee
14-day-old virus, washing the aplnal cord of the rabbit la
sterilized water, and Injections are made upon either eld3(
of the stomach with an ordinary hypodermic syringe. . 14
five day the six-day cord is reached. Then follow sua
ceaslvely Inoculations made from the flve-day,' fourday
and three-day cords until the twenty-third day Is reached
Dr. Kelrle does not restrict his patients In regard ti
food, and no unpleasantness whatever la experience!
from the treatment. .
By this method of treatment the Baltimore physlclar
haa achieved results surpassing even those of the famotL.
institute In Paris. r J
vnijr one or me iuw patients treated aiea irom raoiest
alone. This was Carl WIghtman. a J-year-old child.' E"
died September 8. 1906. just forty days after the treatment I
was begun. The child was bitten In the upper part Of!
the nose, and It is believed the virus entered his bralty
The Pasteur Institute of Baltimore was opened iMJ
March, 1S97. The Institution had Its beginning In a Vv4
thetle and tragic circumstance.
In the northeastern Dart of Baltimore eight boya wet'
badly bitten by a mad dog in January. 1S96. The parent
of all of the children were poor, and were unable to sent
them to the Pasteur Institute of New York. The childrei
had been horribly lacerated, and the development ot
rabies seemed certain. What was to be done? Through
the newspapers e fund was raised to send the ohlldrer
away. But in the meantime four died. Then the peopl
of Baltimore asked themselves why the city should not
have such an institute as New York, Why not? '
Dr. Kelrle had been making experiments with rami,
animals, and when the matter of a local institute wa
taken up by the College of Physicians and Surgeons he
Jheaded the movement. When the Institute became 9
reality he was placed In charge. At present Dr. Keirie'l
son. Dr. Nathaniel Kelrle, Jr., Is his associate la tat
directorship. ' v' 1
Persons are treated at the institute from all yarta Of
the United States. How far-reaching and how important
has become the Pasteur Institute of Baltimore is Indi
cated by the following list of places from which came
the thousand patients: I
Alabama, 2; Arkansas, 8; Delaware, 38; Georgia, 1?;
Indiana, 2; Louisiana. 36; Maryland, 334; Massachusetts, 1
Mexico, 1; Mississippi, 3; New Jersey, 5: North Carolina,
117; Ohio, 11; Pennsylvania. 102; South Carolina, 61r Ten
nessee, 4; Virginia, 104; Washington and District of Colura-.
bla. 57; West Virginia, 112. .' '. -' , I
The thousandth person treated by Dr. Kelrle we w
S. R. Beane, a prominent cotton buyer of MJigusta, Oflf
Mr. Beanfl was bitten last April three times) in-che-han
by a dog which is believed to have been mad.. The thou
sandth treatment was successful. '
but first charge him with the crlma'and play Upon bin?
so that If ho Is guilty he is led to confess. f
Some time ago a woman waa murdered In Parla,
and from her room were stolen 760 franc In money,
her watch and jewelry. Two brother, tieorges and
Paul Amot, had been seen near the house. The night
of the day after the murder waa committed, M. Hain
ard, chief of detectives of Paris, entered a-Wine ehoj
where the two brothers were drinking. To the man
amazement he arrested Georges, charging him wlttt
the murder. ' 1
"You have changed youT coat." he said to the mart,
a aafe guess if he had committed the murder, "it wa
ff ray this morning and there is blood on it.'
"My nose was bleeding," replied the man.
"From excitement, I suppose," said Hamard; "ex
citement caused by your robbery of Mm, kuoas yes
terday evening. , .., ,
"I waa nowhere near Mme. Lucas last night," sal
the man, becoming very pele. -
"You lie," roared Hamard. "look at 5 ' " ' ' - '
Every one saw the hlrd button tp
missing. . v
"Here's the button, said Hamf
"It waa found In your victim's blol
The man confessed. As Hani
he had guessed the murderer the tl
Ins; button from the man's shoe w
A new method of identifying 1
adopted to somt extent inJAuatrl.-
Jirlnts, the police of som cities make .
awa of criminals. They claim that it J
method of Identification ao far original- '
Tha method waa introduced hy Dr. 1';
Vienna, aa army surgeon of great repute
proved to the doctor's satisfaction that 1
Jaws are alike, and that identification
with Jaw moulds i eertaln. Dr
men ted with taking Impression f 1
thepeJate. Although the teeth may
position of the Jswhe claim that 1,
the marking oi th palate, v
r
7 v
... . .