Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 77.djvu/384

378 never would have been able to devote his life, energy and great genius to those important discoveries through which thousands of lives have been saved in all civilized countries during the past few decades. It was while working in this governmental institution, which is doing exactly the work the Owen bill asks the federal department to do, that Koch discovered the tubercle bacillus and the bacillus of cholera. Because of the discovery of the comma bacillus, we no longer have those fearful cholera epidemics which formerly decimated our own and other countries. This disease can now be easily diagnosed and by proper quarantine its mortality can be reduced to a minimum. And what shall we say of the progress that has been made in the fight against tuberculosis because the federal department of health of Germany enabled Koch to do research work and thus discover the bacillus of tuberculosis to be the primary and only direct cause of the disease? As director of the hygienic institute and member of the Reichsgesundheitsamt he inaugurated that wonderfully effective campaign against tuberculosis whereby the mortality from this disease in Germany has been reduced to nearly one half of what it was prior to the discovery of the tubercle bacillus.

Under Koch's inspiration and guidance and in the same institute many great scientific discoveries of incalculable value to humanity were made. Foremost among them are the works of Ehrlich, one of Koch's most celebrated pupils, who recently gave to the world a new remedy which promises to prove a specific in an affliction from which mankind has suffered for centuries.

As co-worker in the Kaiserliche Gesundheitsamt and the Institute for Infectious Diseases, affiliated therewith, we must also mention Behring, the discoverer of the anti-diphtheritic serum. Thanks to the discovery of this serum thousands of young lives are now saved which would formerly have fallen victims to the terrible disease known as malignant diphtheria. This was made possible by the opportunity given to the workers in the Reichsgesundheitsamt and Imperial Institute for Infectious Diseases.

Can there be any better argument in favor of the establishment of a federal department of health?