Palla Ákos szerk.: Az Országos Orvostörténeti Könyvtár közleményei 29. (Budapest, 1963)

Dr. Harangby László: Mecsnyikov munkássága és jelentősége az orvostudományban

to take up battle against syphilis with the help of the amounts of money what they received. The first and most permanent result of these researches was that they managed to transplant syphilis by inoculating anthropoids apes, so founding the basis of experimental syphilis-research. Afterwards they investigated the spreading ways and means of contagious matter of syphilis, and they came to the conclusion that the apes did not develop the diseases, if the very place of inoculation was removed within 24 hours. This time the practical sense of his collaborator seemed to inspire Mechnikov too, and thus they tried to elaborate such a process by which the pathogenic matter could be destroyed on the very place of recent infection, and the developing of illness could be prevented. The tests led to the creation of the so-called „kalomel" ointment (hydrargium bicloride HC2) which was tested by one of Mechnikov s fanatic students, who volunteered to do it. The successfull test led to a storm this time again, as often in Mechnikov's life, and he was accused in public of preventing the punishment of immorality by his vaccinal treatment in case of syphilis, and thus contributed the spreading of immorality. Mechnikov did not remain this time either in debt to the dragons of virtue. He let them know that: "since till now it has failed to prevent the spreading of syphilis by moral means, I was obliged to try out something or other immoral". The investigations regarding syphilis were, however only partial researches of the problems of arteriosclerosis and senescence. Later on Mechnikov thought to find the chief cause of early arteriosclerosis not in syphilis but in the self-poisoning in the organism brought about by the rotting effect of intestinal bacteria. In order to prevent, according to the above-mentioned conception, the multiplication of putrefactive interio bacteria, living in the intestines, he was searching after such bacteria as would be capable to dive the rotten microorganisms out of the intestinal canal. During his investigations he made use of the statement, that in Bulgaria, among the inhabitants there were a strinkingly high percentage of people of advanced aged, feeding on sour milk. He made cultures of bacteria living in sour milk and endeavoured to defeat the putrifying germs by getting cultures the so-called Bacillus bulgaricus into the intestinal duct. 3* 3a