The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-05-24
Tubercular Disease


Prof. Tyndall's letter to the London
Times concerning some experiments by
DR.. Koch, of Berlin, toward proving that
tubercular consumption is caused by par
asitic bacilli, has attracted great atten-
ton from the medical men Of this city,
several OF whom were asked last week
by reporter of the Evening Post to
give their opinions as to the possible re-
suits of these experiments. DR.. Alonzo
Clark who has been for many years
more or less identified with the treat
ment OF pulmonary consumption, said
that the experiments promised important
results, should the alleged results prove
to be well founded. No discovery of
such Importance, he added, can be as
sumed as settled, without more testimony
than we have as yet received The as
sertions of Prof. Koch will, however,
lead to exhaustive experiments all over
the world, and certainly within six
months we shall be able to tell how
much faith to place in his theory. The
theory, by the way, that parasites are to
be found in tubercular matter is by no.
means new, but the difficulty of dis
tinguishing the parasite, if one exists,
from the mass of the tubercle, has rem
dered most Investigations futile. In nv
own researches, continued DR.. Clark, I
have looked for such a parasite in vain.
AS | understand it, Prof Koch has sue
ceeded in coloring the parasite in such
fashion as to make it distinct under a.
high power of the microscope. Should
it be definitely proved that there is a
specific parasite characterizing tuber-
culosis, our treatment of consumption
would be considerably altered, although
it is well established that even with our
present means and knowledge consump-
ton can be cured. The cases of com
plete cure are innumerable. DR.. J. H.
Tyndale said the chief difficulties in the
way of accepting such theory, are %
that it would be difficult to establish the
fact that such bacilli, even when found,
were specific to pulmonary tubercles; ~
that the tubercles were the result of the
parasitic action. Is IL not possible that
the tubercle precedes the bacilh, and
simply offers good breeding ground for
it? If true, it weighs heavily in favor
OF the antisephc treatment now rapidly
gaining favor in France, Germany, and
this country, and which many physi-
clans, including myself, have been ex-
perimenting with for the last year or
two. The chief object of this treatment
is both local and general, destroying
what may be called the parasites, by in
halng such substances as may prove
fatal to a low form of life, such as the
vapor from oil of eucalyptus or iodo-
phone, or injecting into the lungs by
means of fine hypodermic syringe a
weak solution of carbolic acid then in
the way of general treatment building
up the system so that it may resist the
spread of the disease, call it parasitic or
otherwise. AS to the contagious charac-
ter of consumption, which this so-called
discovery hints at, l should be reluctant
to accept such theory without more
careful Investigations into the matter
than have yet been made. Dr.. J. R.
Leaning said he failed to see the great
value OF DIR. Koch's experiments. Real
tubercular consumption is rare. Prof.
Iyndall, in his letter to the London
Tunes, seems to assume that all cases of
consumption are of tubercular nature.
The large majority Of consumptiyes suf-
fer from fbroid degeneration of the
lung tissue, which is wholly different
from the tubercular disease. Fibroid
consumption may develop into tubercular
consumption, but it is perfectly possible
to die Of consumption without tubercular
disease appearing. Dr. Koch seems to
find one proof of the truth of his theory
IN the supposed infectiousness of con
sumption, but DR.. Leaning says he never
found any evidence of this We some
tines see a wife who, after nursing her
consumptive husband, dies Of the same
disease; but the disease in that case is
due to depression of spirits, lack of ex-
ercise, and mental trouble, rather than
tuberculosis. Many a man in active
business suddenly finds his lungs troub-
ling him because he has worked too
much young women who study to hard
are equally liable to be attacked by
form OF consumption which is not tuber-
cular, and can be traced to no infection
from other consumptive persons. Our
present methods Of treatment are so sue
cesstul, when the disease is attacked in
Its first stages, that it would be unwise to
try upon human beings the experiroents