Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-05-06


How Consumption May be Prevented.
Professor Tyndall sends to the London Times
letter giving the summary of lecture re-
| Gently delivered in Berlin by DR.. Koch, showing
the results of his researches to prove that tu-
bercular consumption is caused by parasite.
| In giving an account Of Kochs experiments, he
says:
"Of six guinea-plgs. all in good health. four
were inoculated with bacilli derived originally
| from a human lung, which in fifty-four days had
produced five successive generations, Two of
the six animals were not infected In every one
OF the infected cases the guinea-pig sckened
and lost flesh. After thirty-two days one of
| them died, and after thrty-five days the re-
naming five were killed and examined. In the
guinea-pg that died, and in the three remain
ing infected ones, strongly pronounced tuber-
cular disease had set in. Spleen, liver and
| lungs were found filed with tubercles; while in
the two uninfected animals no trace of the dis
ease was observed In second experiment,
six OF the eight guinea-pigs were inoculated
with cultivated bacilli, derived originally from
| the tubercnlOus lung Of monkey, bred and re-
| tions had been produced. Every one OF these
| animals was attacked. while the two uninfected
| guinea pigs remained perfectly healthy. SIM
| liar experiments were made with cats rabbits,
| rats, mice and other animals, and without ex-
| ception, it was found that the injection of the
parasite into the animal system was followed by
decided and, In most cases. virulent tubercular
| disease.
I'm the cases thus far mentioned incubation
has been effected in the abdomen. The place of
| incubation was afterwards changed to the aQu-
| eous humor Of the eye. Three rabbits received
| each speck Of bacillus-culture, derived origi-
| naily from human lung affected with pneumO-
MIA. Eighty-nine days had been devoted to the
! culture OF the organism. The infected rabbits
| rapidly lost flesh, and after twenty-five days
were killed and examined. The lungs of sery
one of them were found charged with tube fcles.
| OF three other rabbits one received an Injection
! OF pure blOod-serum in the aqueous humor of
| the eye, while the other two were infected in a
similar way, with the same serum, containing
| bacilli, derived originally from diseased lung
and subjected to ninety-0ne days cultivation.
After twenty eight days the rabbits were killed.
| The one which had received an injection of
pure serum was found perfectly healthy, while
the lungs Of the two others were found over
| spread with tubercles.
"Other experiments are recorded in this adj
| mirable essay, from which the weightiest prac-
tical conclusions may be drawn. Koch deter
| mines the limits of temperature between which
the tubercle-bacillus can develop and multiply.
The minimum temperature he finds to be 800
Fahrenheit, and the maximum 1912 He con-
cludes that, unlike the bacillus anthracs Of sple
mic fever, which can flourish freely outside the
animal body, in the temperate zone animal
warmth is necessary for the propagation of the
newly discovered organism. In a vast number
of cases Koch has examined the matter expec-
torated from the lungs OF persons affected with
phthisis, and found in it swarms of bacfli,
while in matter expectorated from the lungs of
persons not thus afflicted he has never found
the organism. The expectorated matter in the
former cases was highly infective, no. did drying
destroy its virulence. Guinea-pigs infected with
expectorated matter which had been kept dry
for two. four, and eight weeks, respectively,
were smitten with tubercular disease quite as
virulent as that produced by fresh expectora-
tion Koch points to the grave danger of in
haling air in which particles of the dried sputa
Of consumptive patients mingles with dust OF
other kinds" "a
The London Medical Ne,os says of the posi-
bic results Of this discovery:
eff Pasteur's culture experiments have led to
the discovery Of q method by which the poison
Of splenic fever IL rendered harmless. and the
disease prevented by the timely incubation of
the modified virus, may we not hope that the
time is not distant when the ravages of con-
sumption will be prevented by the incubation
Of a modified bacillus7 The medical profession
of the whole civilized world will now await with
the keenest interest the developments which
may be expected from further study Of the
bacillus tuberculosis.n