The Microbe-Producing-Disease Theory

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Excerpt from The Microbe-Producing-Disease Theory: Inconsistent With the Laws of Nature, How Diseases Are Produced, A New Physiological Law Promulgated I. In order to avoid repetition and for the sake of shortness, the word Microbe shall include all that are at present considered as microbial vital beings, such as those that can only be seen under the microscope, for instance, Schizomycetes, Schizophyta, Microphytes, Micrococci, Bacilli, Spirilli, Bacteria, Leptothrix, Vibriones, Staphylococci, Clostridium, Beggiatoa, Spiromonas, Spirochaete, Cladothrix, and all those that have received no name as yet, as well as those that are too small to be seen under the most powerful microscope. If one of these names actually includes any other, or if one is a derivation from another, matters not, the question 1st is: What is a microbe? Of course, the bacteriologist may say: A microbe is a minute vital organism which can be seen only under the microscope. But, such a definition is, to say the least, not very precise and not a little evasive, for, one having a microscope of a power say 250 can claim that he sees microbes. Another who has a microscope of a power of 1000 can see other microbes. Another still with a power yet higher might claim to see more and other microbes. Where then is the limit to our observation and who can assign it? That there are creatures beyond the range or power of any of our optical contrivances to detect, is, I might say, certain, just as certain as that there are stars in the heavens beyond the range of our most powerful telescopes. Shall we then leave these creatures un-named, or shall we not classify them all under the one head "microbes?" The latter course would seem to be most rational and at the same time most general and comprehensive. We shall therefore follow it and consequently define microbes as: The minutest forms of life, embracing both what is revealed to us by the microscope and what lies beyond the power of our most powerful optical instruments to detect. Now, should this definition seem extravagant or strange, for after all are there not things which really exist and yet will either never be detected by the senses or cannot? The Ether of the universe, on account of its extreme tenuity is undetectable by any process at present known to science. It does not enter into combination with other substances, therefore, its quantity, quality and action always remain constant. Assuming the atomic theory to be the correct one, ether forms the interstitial medium between the atoms and molecules of all gases, fluids, and solids, entering the inter-atomic and molecular spaces on the expansion of these bodies and receding on their contraction. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.