Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-12-28 | Page 26 | Microbes Long-Lived

MICROBES LONG-LIVED. Apparently, there is no limit to the age "hii'h a imerobe may attain. A IVeucU savant has proved that the mierolvs whieh lived at a time at least -00 years before the Christian era are just as healthy and vigorous today as they then wore. This scientist has sonic germs which used to eavort about iii Egypt in the time of the Pharaohs, and which show no siu of senile decay. de-cay. When it comes to establishing a record rec-ord for longevity, tho microbe appears to win first place without half trying. .'ot long ago Dr. M. V. Galippc discovered dis-covered living microbes in Egyptian papyrus mure than '2000 years old. After soaring the papyrus in water about thtve hours, the intercellular nticro-Oi'L'auisms nticro-Oi'L'auisms which had been dormant for centuries began to move, "Within twenty -four hours, the little fellows were found to be in a state of activity, multiplying and gonerally in full evolution. evolu-tion. According to Dr. Galippc, t hero is not hii; much to 1 o astonished at in tliis discovery, but there is in two others which he has made. llriefly, these, latter discoveries tend to prove that some kinds of microbes are practically prac-tically indestructible. Dr. Galippc is naid to liawj found that microbes living in ordinary paper, made in our own day, survive the pulping, boiling and 'i)f-r prfji-'f-ssci ir.'-id'-ifal to th'j manu- i . f:i-;.;r.j or par. I!e aSo found j j living orL,'ai.:.-nis in xcrni.-d pa-I pa-I pff which had br-rn subjected to cx-jfr.-Mi.: h--;.t fr half r-:i hour. r;"-pet:t ',. experiments which 1 resulted in tl.te di.fo vt-ri-s, the fol-. fol-. 1. living e:-crpt from a report made by! ; Dr. Guiippe is interesting: i The 7)p-ne-- of ::i 1-' ro-o'V'a n inms in oif- ! I f'Ti-ht srts of rj:io-r tm'.v in n'. i.s tmi ! Mjfpfi.s,:iu', ;tli. 1 k :i it was i.'ern::a!ly :it- 1 iiMVt-l th.;-Lt all n i i'To '' W'-rt- roy;d 1 ilurif! t.irt v;iriouii in-rjfvssi-s of juyr- ; nui.kinK.-VVf huva bc-n aide to irv t he j 'Oiit.i ;n y. For t)ie expcrirr.'.Tita (at the; ; A-:i'iniiy of Sfine'es ) we vjfiti Htriiized j pu.'j.rr, expo.-i-.l for ii.iif an hour to 1 2 J 0--i rivri, entj'ruo;, of I'.e.'it, aici, upon i ji i a, nation, it i:j found tinit this pnr('f. iiari h'uiariy tn its fih.-r, contains a lurKe j riiitniMr of k roups of hai-ilh. They ury I found to he a!i-.;. wiv-n IsoUited. As a r-Hlr. r-Hlr. of our ot'.vrvH t ioi:H, th prsf-nc1 of lii'tntr elements in s terliixed paj-zr iii.-d for f M t i not of gr::i importun.-e wlu'.-u t iift process f of fi'. rra r ion is mrricrt out r;tid;y. In the raso of .slow filtration of oriniie li'iuhliH the van', i.s (inite different. Dr. Galippe's exiifriments witli modern mod-ern paper having proved successful, he tried some specimens manufactured in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and particularly a book dated 1406. Curiously enough, in this case the microbes mi-crobes discovered in tho book were found to bo still alivo, while those concealed con-cealed in the f ibro of the paper remained re-mained immobile. The first were found to be microbes similar to those present in affected muscular tissue and in the epidermis of tho petals of flowers. Among others, microbes resembling the germ of tetanus were discovered. Encouraged by these results, the doctor doc-tor next experimented with Chinese manuscripts. Their exact ago could not bo ascertained, but it is certain" thafc the fragments were much older ' than the discovery of printing in China. iTreatod in tho manner adopted by him and placed in gelose, tho bacilli showed signs of life after two days' treatment, and after three days incubation began be-gan to multiply. They moved in the usual way and presented no peculiarities.