, 1877-01-21
SCARLET FEVER, AND THE REMEDY,

| an article on the frightful prevalence of the
| scarlet fever in this and other communities
| which merely gave expression to the terror
| ism which the scourge has occasioned in all
families, without contributing any informa-
ton of value; but in the course of the article
occurred the following brutal assault:
There is 4 physician who claims to hare an in
fnlliblc preventive aud cure for scaret fever and
which be peddles out to families at SO much head
Now, If this man have such thing, and does not
make it public at time when scarlet fever is liter
ally covering the city with its slain Victims he is
wretch whom to call man would be an everlasting
libel on the human race Failing to make his
knowledge puDic, If he have any such, his claims
should be investigated and, il found to be what he
asserts, he shoald be paid whatever sum such
character would demand for his secret-and then
hanged.
This reads as If the intention were to single
ont DIR: G. D. BEEBE, vino had previously
announced in the newspapers that he had
discovered what he believed to be beth pre-
ventive and o remedy, which he would fur
nish at about cost to those who would apply,
or the prescription for which he would give
to any physician desiring it. If such an an
nouncenent was provocation for an attack,
then there is not much encouragement: for
physicians to do anything pro bono pu6hco.
DR.. BEEBE had been at work for many years
to discover an agency that would counteract
the ravages of the parasite which he believes
to be the occasion of the disease, and it was
only the recent prevalence of scarlet fever
and diphtheria That enabled him to make such
ageneral application of his antiseptic remedy
as satisfied him that he had found the
proper agent. Ono of the constituents
of the remedy is u poison (carbolic
acid which, properly used, is invaluable SIS
iisinfectant, but when improperly or care
lessly used is as dangerous as other poison
ous drugs. It would have been not merely
unprofessiona1 but reckless to announce for
general information @ medicine that should |
be administered under physicians super
vision, and such an announcement 1nicht.F
have been followed by serious consequences
But, while the Times was denouncing ply |
siclan for not doing something be ought not |
to do, TIE TRIBUNE sought Dr. REEBE and |
procured from him paper which lie had
prepared for medical journal, III order thet
his theory might be the more fully placed
before the general public, and the attention
of the medical profession aud families drawn
more pointedly to an antiseptic that has
been abundantly proved to be efficient.
"Septic," it mny be explained. is
q term implying merely condition or tend
ency to putrefaction; an antiseptic is that
which removes this condition or counteracts
This tendency. The practice known SIS anti-
septic has increased wonderfully within the
ast few years, and with the. growth and nd
7ance of science it will become still more
general.
TIE TRIBUNE, then, printed Dr. BEEnEs
hypothesis, the relation of his experiments.
he result of his search, and the combina-
ion of drugs which he finally discovered to
'e efficient as against the supposed living
nd parasitic organism in the putrefaction of
carlet fever md diphtheria, and gave to tile
7orld ;all the information uon-professional
eaders should have Of the remedy on the j
cry same day the Times Was abusing some ,
ody for Withholding it. Concerning its dis ,
overy, DR.. BEEnE sai1: >
The frequent intermingling of the characteristic
'nptoms Of scarlet fever and diphtheria in the :,
inc subject, and the state OF system in which
:arlet fever often left those who survived IN at.
ck,-a condition In which the blood and fluids of
le BODY bordered close upon putridity.-led nc, +
lily eight y-ars ago. to declare my conviction to
edical men that this disease wonld come time be ,
smonstrated to be az clearly Of septic character as
then regarded diphtheria- 1t Is only within the .
lst two years that this demonstration has been | r.
ached This SLOW advance has been due to two :.
asons: the absence Of decided epidemIcs in Chi
Co. ON which to test the theory; and the want Of 0
entirely satisfactory antseptic AGENT with O
1ich to make the test. !,
The drug, which is administered as pre- O
nt1ve aad remedy, is chemical oombina~ e!
IN of carbolic acid and sulphite of soda,- cl
lpho-cerbolate Of soda,-and of its eff- d
sncy DR.. BEEBE says: q By its admins u,
alton the blood and tissues of the human Ii
dy may be thoroughly disinfected without m
citing any toxic effects of the drug. Ad- o,