The great and good work being done by the various tuberculosis institutes and societies of the United States has long been a subject of discussion among educational bodies, charitable institutions and people in all walks of life. In "The Trail of the Germs," great care has been taken to arrange this subject in a technically correct, absorbingly interesting dramatic form, and it presents to the public some interesting sidelights upon the prevention and cure of the Great White Plague. A fruit seller is prevailed upon to visit the Tuberculosis Dispensary. He is examined and found to be tubercular. His home in the congested district of Chicago is visited by one of the tuberculosis nurses, accompanied by a young lady friend who incidentally, is a customer of the fruit seller. The home is seen to be dark, stuffy, and poorly ventilated. The man's son is taken to the clinic, and he, too, is found to be tubercular. The young lady acquaintance of the nurse playfully submits to a test by the physician in charge, and it shows that she, too, has a tuberculous infection. Here the "Trail of the Germs" is taken up and they are literally "run to earth." The story is carried along through a series of interesting experiments and tests, and is brought to a close with the unfortunates convalescing under the treatment of fresh air, good food, rest and sunshine.
—Moving Picture World synopsis