New-York daily tribune., 1859-01-12
"THE HYPOPHOSPHIrES AGAIN"-DR.
CHURCHULS DISCOVERY.


"THE HYPOPHOSPHIrES AGiIN"-DR.
CHURCHU.L'S DISCOVERY.
To as Edisov Of TAs N. u TrsS"'.
SIR: The discovery Of DIR. Churchill In ARD 70
the pror,mate cause of and Yec,fc treatment foe
tuberculosis, seems to hsve encouotered a ne~ AUD
doughty opponent, 10 the person OF u. w. sJkss'
NJ d = of Pittsburgh Pa. as appears by his comma
nicalion in THg TRIBUNE Of tho ID inst. lie thinks
the empirical nosttuws which annually offered 40
speo,fcs for consumption productive Of an iu.
:. uers. amount of mischief" SO do |, and thus f1
Ibave no quarrel with the Doctor but when he un-
iertskes to establish the proportion that Dr. Church.
Ills remedy ia of tiis character, W. Instantly Ia OUT
by the way. =.
least an iRdspeasabe adjunct 10 the existence OF tu
teIcul)sis is deficiency IN the system OF oiygonh
Die phosphorus: and, consequently that the SPECIFIC
TREATMENT, OF means OF caring tue disease, con-
sisted in restoring the deficient elements. For tins
purpose Il became necessary to select some compouna
Of phosphorus, which presented the TWO condN,ons
being at the came time rsd,.abls aud assnuabte-
which conditions were found to exist in the hypopnos
pbi'es. - go,
The PREMISE aud CONCLUSION Of DR.. Churchill,
though sustained by really remarkable success ia he
own practice, cot to have met the spProbation
of DR.. Sykes. This is unfortunate for DIR. o., but
probably will not prove fatal to his claim Of having
mace valuable discovery in chemico medical sc'ence
=,
by any number OF suek "experimetts" as those II
DIR. Cotton at the Brompson Consumption Hospital u
London.
But he doctor and his associate in spite Of the re-
suits at the " G. ebrated Brompton Hospital, have
bean administering the Hypophospbites during the
past year in many hundred casesV That vas crus
Of you, Doctor Is this specimen of your rationd
course" did you discard this "courss' during yoof
imtns with your consunptive patients
o. is it only since "the past year that you have
founded your wonderful new school, and ascertsiasd
that drug remedies have but secondary importance
in the treatment of this disease =
wish to call the attention OF the intelligent resdef
to fex points in the celebrated Brompton Hoe
ptal' experiments. DR.. Cotton in sdmnis-
tered the msxmum dose" Fl We grains, dissolved In
" water, with the addition Of u small quanlity Of
" srnP, being given three times day" - The rsns'
was administered for fortnight, says Dr. Cotton,
after which it was discontinued DIR. Churchill says;
There salts, sdmir stered 10 doses varying from ten
q TO Jorfy:fre grains per day, may be used IN the
" treatment of pltbi.s. The highest dose which
" have given to adults has besD fifteen grans" VIII
any intelligent nan, profess onsl lay, regard two
weeks treatu ent with minimum doses as any sufi-
cieut test Of the vslue of the bypophosphes in the
second and third stages Of consumption
IT. at the expiration Of this period" continues D..
Cotton, "the patient expressed themselves RE-.
" LIEyED, other medicines we're prescribed" Tin
" relief" was the lightning Of cure, and 10 al
fairness, the remedy should have been continued.
The other medicines were instances of the poet ioe
The observations Of DIR. ChurohIl in "thlrty6vs
cases Of phthiss both in the second and third stsge
" viz; with softened tabercles and vomica" must
be coDsidered as at least Of equal value with DIR. Cot
tons twenty cases, treated during the remarkable
period OF two weeks; especially, as in the former
" nne recovered completely, the physical sgns disaP-
4" pearing altogether in eight of that number" 70
much for the celebrated Bronpton Hospital" expers
iments.
Notwithstanding the result Of these experiments
Dr. Cotton says In the article erred to- 1t is very
possible that the compound VI phosphorus proposed
" by DR.. Churchill may, in some cases, have TONIC
" and beneficial influence" =" The employmeat o.
" phosphorus in the treatment OF phthisis says hes
" is by means novel. For the Last eight or nins
" years have been In tho habit Of using mixture
" consisting of dilute phosphoric acid with the phos;
" pLate Of iron. In many cases much good
" has attended, and think may say has been pro-
" duced by its administration. I believe ithe
" simple tonic adapted to certain depressed states
" the system."
DIR. Churchill must have been we'll aware Of the use
Of Posptcr'e o;ad as also that its effects were rarely
beneficial in pulmonary disease. This knowledge IN.
dOubtedy led him to that Of sxsminstioa ana
erment which resulted in the discovery that the
proIimQts cause Of tuberculosis was deficiency o.
oIydzable mot completely oxydized) phosphorus ~
the system; heIce, that the remedy must be soughs
Tor in preparation of phosphorus presenting the two
conditions Of being t for immediate assimilation, and
at the same time at the lowest possible state Of oxydA
ton. Let the reader note the important difference PEE
tween the Of ptosphorie aetd long known TO the
profession a. Of little or no thersPeutlca yaiue ana
the Lypopkosphtes, a. discovered by DIR. Churchill,
which poesess in the highest degree oil the thera-
peuticsl properties attributed by former observer
TO phosphorus while free from the dangers which
70 have almost consigned that substan e to oblivion.
To tire ipse dirt OF DR.. Sykes and his associate,
oppope the opinion Of DR.. Stsior OF Baltimore, as
cciated With DR.. Edward X. Parker 10 the editoshp
cf the IN. \. Medical Monthly" who says, THERE
- CAN BE so DOUBT TO TIE yALCE OF THEsL
70 SALTS IS REMEDIAL AoEsTs." ALSO, that OF Dr.
Elmer of the Moth American Medical Reporter ltofi
Oct. 1888, Who says; "We have used them the
" Hypophosphitesl 10 Pkth,ss Pslmonahs with very
' satiifsCtoiy results. IL sxTr.EIGHr cases tainy
" seven were in the nepeni, and twenty three 10 me
secord or advanced stsge Of consumption; toe
. msinder were Ley1Gd hope. With the excepa'n"
- the latter csses, which were much benentoo, Al.
'BuT THREE, which still doubtful, RECOVERED
" PTRFEoTLY" -
DR.. Churchfs discovery WAS announced 70 -
rlOs, august DCdical body IN the word. lie unPu
spce Of the dscyvery Sas imaiedistely recogp'Io[
and Comniuee Of three dstiDs members
he Academy appointed to make iu1oer nVessYI
.ion If bic claims. Perhaps our Pittsborsh pnysT
{ sn bad been s member Of the Academy OF Aench
be would have saved that body from tue disgfscsS
bayrg given Il, grave attention TO 10 absurd tnesS
as that of DR.. Churchill.
livery rev discovery in physics or science e,,m1n mn
stand upon s ueriis, or fall, if II have nose. -
the opponents of DR.. Churchill can controvrss,
YAcIs aedu ea from his owp experience VI Dssy' urs
yl.p the "pret, riders tO the discovery @s..o.,be
ration al course" show results at ~ 49, fpo-
20 those which have followed the ur o. o.. a.. spsIe
pho.u uh;tes-tLep will the tens VI tsouseDS