Dr Felix Ruh, a Jewish doctor, working in Paris was a co-worker of Louis Pasteur. His granddaughter had died of black diphtheria, so he vowed he would find out more about what had killed her. He locked himself in his laboratory for days and emerged with a fierce determination to prove, with his colleague Louis Pasteur that the germ theory was more than just a theory.
The medical association, disapproving of Pasteur and his work, had succeeded in exiling him. However, he didn’t stray far from Paris and set up a laboratory in the nearby forest in which to continue his forbidden research.
Twenty beautiful horses were led into the forest to the improvised laboratory. Scientists and medical practitioners came to watch the experiment. Ruh opened a steel vault and extracted a large pail filled with black diphtheria germs, which he had carefully cultivated for months. In that pail were enough germs to kill everyone in France. The scientist went to each horse and swabbed its nostrils, tongue, throat and eyes with the deadly germs. Every horse except one developed a terrible fever and died. Few of those watching waited to see the expected death of the remaining horse.
For several days, the last horse lingered, lying pathetically on the ground. While Ruh, Pasteur and a few others slept on cots in the stables, the orderly on duty had been instructed to wake them should there be any change in the horse’s condition during the night.
At about 2.00 am the horse’s temperature showed half a degree decrease. The orderly awakened Dr Ruh. By morning, its temperature was down another two more degrees. By nightfall, the fever was entirely gone. The horse was able to stand, eat and drink.
Then Dr Ruh took a sledgehammer and struck that beautiful horse a death blow right between the eyes. The scientist drew all the blood from this horsevwho had developed but overcome black diphtheria. The scientists drove as fast as they could to the hospital in Paris. They forced their way past the superintendent and guards and went to the ward where three hundred babies lay segregated to die from black diphtheria. They innoculated them all with the horse’s blood. Only three died. The rest recovered completely. They were saved by the blood of an overcomer, who gave his life so that they would live.
In this month of remembrance, the poppies remind us of those who gave their lives that we might live in freedom. In our communion service we remember that we have been saved by the blood of a victor. Jesus Christ overcame sin and death on the cross, by His blood we are saved.
Ephesians 1: 7 “For by the sacrificial death of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.”