New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-03
THE TUBERCLE PARASITE.
ANEW THEORY OF CONSUMPTION.
PROFESSOR JOHN TYNDALLs LUMINOUS ACCOUNT
OF DR. KoCH's INVESTIGATIONS

tHs Letter to The London nncs)
On the oath of March, 1882, an address OF
before the physiological Society of Berlin 1t touches
question in which all at present interested-tha
oeTmted to Give some account Of in The Times The
address copy Of which has been eoureousiy sent 10
lar Disease" Koch first made himself known by the
penetration skill and OF ms On
ton and infection he traced this terrible parasite throgn
all its stages OF development and through ts various
modes of action This mastery investigation caused the
young physician to be transferred from odest coul
try practice in the OF Bresa 10 'Ie pos
From this department has lately issued most mpor
tan series of Investigations on the etioogy OF nfeeye
disorders Koch's inquiry deals with disease which
in pont OF mortality stands at the head OF them all H.
he saws the seriousness malady be measured BY the
number OF s victims then the most dreaded pests which
have hitherto ravaged the worldpague ana cholera IN
cludcd-must stand far behind the one now under con-
sidera ION Koch makes the startling statement that
oneseventh of the deaths OF the human race are Que 10
tuDersuar disease, while fully onetnird OF those who
die in active middeag carried of by the same cause
Prior Koch 1t had been placed beyond doubt that inc
disease was communicable and the aim OF the Berlin
physician has TO determine the precise character OF
the cOntagum which previous experiments on nocu ,
ton and inhalation nad prUyeGH DC Gsp s
jected the diseased organs OF great huniucI r
of men and animals TO microscopic examinations ana
found, in all cases the tuberces infested WIN minute
rodshaped parasite, which ny means OF spccIai dye'
lie differentiated from the surrounding tissue III was,
the centre OF the tubeIele cen me minute orgam sn
which created it, Transferring directly by nocua-
healthy ones he In every instance reproduced the
disease meet the objection that II was not the para
Cultivated his bac aTtidcally for long
generations. With speck OF matter for example from
tubercuous human lung, he infected substance pre-
fordng nuliment TO the parasite Here he permitted 1t
to grow ana multiply. From this new generation he
took and iected Herewith fresh nil-
tTitye matter thus producing another BROOD Genera
ton after generation Of bac developed In this
mont he
the process which sometimes embraced successive Gull
tiyatons extending over half year, the purified bacli
We're introduced into the circulation of healthy animals
OF various kinds. In every case incubation was 1o-
lowed by the reproduction and spread OF the parasite
and the generation OF the original disease. 800
Permit me to give u further though still brief and
nigs ali III good health four inocuated with bacil
derived originally from human lung. which III hity
days had oduced five successive generations
OF the SIX animals not Injected In every one OF
the infected the gneapg sckened and lost fesn
After hrtytwo days one OF them ded ana alter tairt
days the remaining five were Killed ana examined
In the guineapig that died and III the three remaining
infected ones strongly pronounced tuoercutr aSeds
had set in Spleen liver and lungs were lOunu ed WIN
tubercles while i'll the two unlniected animals no trace
OF the disease was ODscrNeu III secVnu
SIX eight guineapgs were lnocuated with cult-
waited bacihl derived originally rom tne tusercaOus
Of monkey pred an leDreu Ioi hlhet! u9 Q,
until eight generations had been produced Every one
of these ANIMALS attacked while the two uBnfected
gunca-plgs remained perfectly neahy' olhiar e*Pell-
made with cats rabbits rats mice ana Other
animals and without exception, 1t was foInd that the
Injection of the parasite the animal system fol-
lowed by decided and, LII most cases. Vrent tuDercuar
In the cases thus far mentioned incubation had been
effect ed in the abdomen The place Of incubation was
afterward changed 10 the aqueous Aumor OF the eye
Three rabbits received speck OF baclusculture,
derived originally from u human lung affected WIN
pneuuouia Eigty-niue days had been devoted To tue
culture OF the organism. The infected rabbits rapidly
lost flesh, and after twenty-five days were killed and eA
aInncd The lungs Of every one OF them were fOunu
charged tubrIcles or three other rabbits, one re-
ceived injection OF pure bood-serum III ne aqueous
humor OF eye wnlc the other two were Infected IN
similar way with the containing Dacu de-
rived originally from diseased lung and subjected 10
a.
the rabbits killed. The one which had received an
injection OF pure found perfectly healthy,
while the lungs OF tue TWO
| with tuberccs.
Other experiments are recorded in this admirable es
say. from which The Weghiicst practical cOncusOns
may be drawn. Koch determines the limits Of tcpera-
between when the tubcrclebdculus can develop
and multiply. The ninimuh temperature lie hrds to be
$50 Fahrenheit aud the maximum lO40 lie conclndes
that, unlike the the bacillus aIthfacs OF spIclc lever
which flourish freely outside the animal body, IN
the temperate animal warmth Is necessary Tor tue
propagation OF the newly discovered ORGANISM In vast
number Koch has examined the matter Apcc
torded from the lungs OF affected WITH phtnlss
and found in IL sWaTms baccllli while in matter
pect GRATED lungs persons not thus afflicted
| he has never found the organism The expecOrated
matter in former highly lnecVe, nor DID
driving destroy its ylrulence. Gulnca-plgs infected
with expectordted matter wch had been kept dry for
two, four and eight weeks respectively, were snittcn
with tubercuar disease quite rs vruent "a that pro
duced by fresh OXpccoTaOn Koch points 10 the grave
danger of nlang air which particles OF the dried
sputa Of cOnsumpuye patients mlnges with dust oi
| other kinds
tho obvious moral from these experiments In no other
conceivable way than that pursued by Koch could the
| true character OF the most destructive lnalady By
which humanity is now assailed be determined And
| however noisy the fanaticlsm OF the moment may be
the common Englishmen will not, in tue long
run, permit II cruelty i'll the name OF tender
ness, debar the light aud leading OF sucl
Investigations that which is here SO imperlecty de
scribed. Your obedient servant, john TrhDALL-
HiDdH ADIit