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etiologic agent [cause], and its only competition is an was published by The Rockefeller Institute. Simon unidentified filterable virus".'' Had Pfeiffer studied Wade Flexner, then director at the Institute, once followed and Manalang's laboratory evidence, his reply would similar acid-fast fungal forms associated with ave been quite different. Pfeiffer's bacillus itself had a tuberculosis and found this similar association with the ilterable virus-like form that could easily be mistaken for influenza bacillus fascinating. Flexner called his a "filterable" influenza "virus". filterable fungal forms inside TB "pseudo-tuberculosis"."* Wade remained a voice of scientific reason throughout Flexner was a key figure in the 1918 pandemic, heavily he 1918 influenza pandemic, during which he personally _ influencing Rockefeller research. He also had full status experienced a scourge in which, depending upon which _ in the close-knit band of major US research operatives province he visited, from 40 to 95 per cent of Filipinos — during the pandemic. Why had he not taken the cue and ad contracted the disease. At least 70,000-90,000 of — run with Wade's study? Wade had found that Pfeiffer's hem had already died. Wade knew what it was like to mycobacterial fungal forms could appear as filterable come into a village where there were not enough livingto viruses. Even a 1918 British Medical Journal editorial (1918; bury the dead. Also, being far from the 2:665) had supported this. United States, he was not subject to Actually, one researcher had he relentless censorship of the Wilson listened carefully to Wade. But since administration, both against civilians that researcher wasn't a member of and scientists of the US Army Medical ...depending upon the US scientific hierarchy, he would be ignored. His name: Dr Victor Conrad von Unruh. Corps itself. If he saw mycobacterial Q orms similar to those of TB in Pfeiffer's the culture media influenza bacillus, he could and would used, either fungal report them without fear of being Medical Reserve Corps, NYC, 1917 accused of fuelling the flames of or bacterial Physician/researcher Victor Conrad ysteria. And in documenting elements could von Unruh was born in 1868 in uberculosis-like fungal forms in Dahlewitz, Germany, at a time when previously filtered Pfeiffer's, that is be grown out. German medical research and science exactly what Wade did. Wade’s media were unrivalled. He immigrated When the French chemist/ microbiologist Louis Pasteur was on his deathbed, his conscience inally overtook him, forcing him o admit that his great rival, biochemist and MD Antoine Béchamp, had been correct and hat he had been wrong. Not only were microbial forms changeable, but they depended upon the culture media or the environment ound in the Catalogue of the Library in the body's terrain. So with his of The Surgeon General's Office - last dying breath, Pasteur whispered: "The terrain is United States Army, 1920—a reminder for posterity. everything..." Because Pfeiffer's bacillus stained acid-fast, von Unruh, Nowhere else had this become more obvious than with __ like others, had been evaluating what medical texts such as the mycobacteria, in which, depending upon the culture Stengel's’® referred to as Mycobacterium influenzae, also media used, either fungal or bacterial elements could be — known as Bacillus influenzae. The entire influenza group was grown out. Wade's media grew out fungal forms after its | thought to be caused by this acid-fast mycobacterial spores went through a filter. They were therefore _ bacillus, which was similar to the tubercle bacillus. Both "filterable", but they were not "viruses". microbes had fowl, swine and human forms. In the words of microbiologist Milton Wainwright, Von Unruh never saw the need to look for a “filterable Wade and Manalang had now committed "the ultimate virus" or "influenza" in the thousands of hogs that died pleomorphist heresy", documenting that abacterium or abruptly with flu-like symptoms just before the mycobacterium could have more than one form in its life | pandemic, as did virologist Richard Shope. Why should cycle. Pfeiffer himself, when he discovered his bacillus, | he? Shope, the American virologist credited with the first had seen these same forms but described them as __ isolation of the influenza "virus", seemed oblivious to the "pseudo" influenza. Pfeiffer simply had failed to see both fact that more than 60 per cent of hogs circa 1918 were forms of his discovery as one and the same, central to —_ tubercular from fowl TB, a fact that gave hog breeders the nature of his influenza bacillus. such concern that large-scale efforts were under way to It was no accident that Wade and Manalang's paper __ rid farms and chicken flocks of avian tuberculosis. o the US, and by 1917 he had received the commission of Captain in the Medical Reserve Corps, New York City. The pandemic of 1918 was about to it hard. Von Unruh's "A Comparative Study of the Acid Fast Bacilli"’ had appeared in 1916, two years prior to the killing ields of 1918. His study can be grew out fungal forms after its spores went through a filter. ...depending upon the culture media used, either fungal or bacterial — be grown out. Wade’s media grew out fungal forms after its spores went through a filter. NEXUS ¢ 19 elements could OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2011 www.nexusmagazine.com