Living Pictures of A Microbe War.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 January 1911, Page 4

Living Pictures of A Microbe War.

.REPELLING AN INVASION* OK

GERMS

A pitched battle between an army of phagocytes and. a few million spirochaeta was shown ou the cinematograph at a lecture on * 'Tho .Mechanism of Phagocytosis,'' given recently by Dr C. Levaditi, of the Pasteur Institute. Paris, at the Royal Institute of Public Health in Russell square. The phagocytes are not. as the name might suggest, warriors of some obscure race, but the defenders of Hie human body, and in the living pi-tores they wore seen employed in demnlishing the spirochaeta. which are the bacteria of a malignant disease. These, cinematograph films, which are amongst the most marvellous ever shown, illustrate in an extraordinary manner the bacterial M'arfare which la Ices place inside the human body, and excitement was added to the contest owing to the fact that the audience knew that victory for the spirodhaeta meant death to the victim.

Dr Levaditi followed with bis pointer the course of the battle, the combatants appearing on the screen like weird creatures conjured up in a nightmare.

In the first few pictures the phagodytes, living cells which light all intruders in tho human body, had a rather bad time, and. like a general commanding his forces, Dr Levaditi cried tragically, "See, they weaken!'' Again, still more tragically. as a phagocyte fell out-num-bered by a host of horrid-shaped bacteria, lie cried, "See, it is dead.'' The phagocytes, however, put up a great fight. There were dead spirochaeta to the right and to tho left, and the losses must havo been phenomenal.

For a time- the phagocytes waged, the battle alono, but then there-were signs of reinforcements. The doctor had come to their aid.

In the moment of their victory the spirochaeta received a chock. With their vast numbers and the variety of their attack—-such as sharp fang-like teeth, pincers, and ■pointed, dagger-shaped tongues --

they wero too much for the phagocytes alone, but with the arrival of medical science to stimulate the enemy thev were demolished.

Slowly at first, the wriggling tilings wriggled less. "It becomes tired,'' said Dr. Levadit-i, as lie pointed at a wearied monstrosity as it tried to release itself from the clutch of a, revived -iiagocyte.

"Its strength- is going faster and faster," and finaly tlio lecturer added, with a triumphant smile, " The spiodiaeta. is dead. T he phagocyte has conquered."

It is this sort of fight- which goes on da-ilv in the body of human 'beings. the fierceness of the fight depending on tln> malignancy of the opposing bacterh.

From a cold in the head downwards the various liunian ailments entail a fight by the phagocyte in defence of its home, and the problem of the doctor is to discover the b?st l':od for the health soldier, according to the nature of the battle it. has to wage.