The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-06-21
From the New York Christian Advocate
The Tubercle Par asite.

L
The publication in Tile Christian Id
yocote of May Is, of the claimed dis
coverv by DR.. Koch, of Germany, of a
ANNIE organism which gave strong evil
dence of being the essential cause of all
tnbereulous diseases, will give interest
~ the subioined letter to which we
would call attention. With regard to
DR.. Koch's researches, the most that can
be said of them is, that they seem to have
been conducted in such a way as to
eliminate every source of error, and yet
the records of the past are strewn with
the wrecks of supposed discoveries which
time has shown to have been imaginary
Repetitions by other observers, and con
frmations in other places end conditions
are needed to establish this discovery as
an accepted and indisputable fact. To
those who may feel an interest in know
ing how studies in matters of disease are
conducted an account of Dr.. Koch
methods will be acceptable He exam
med microscopically the diseased masses
taken from thirty-three tuberculous peo-
pie including cases of tuberculous lungs,
brains, intestines, glands, and joints, and
in them all uniformly detected the or
ganism which was not found in the non
diseased tissues. In ten cases of the So
called pearl disease in lower animals, in
a diseased gland taken from pig, in the
organs of hen dead from general tuber-
culosis, and in monkeys, guinea
pigs, and rabbits the search was
made, and the same minute rod-like
organism found The matters contain
ing the organism were then inoculated
in l72 guinea-pigs, 80 rabbits, and cats,
and in all cases the animals died of tpber-
culosis, I'd the same organism was found
in their tissues. But, after all, it was still
possible that this uniform presence Of
this organism might be a result or coin
cidence OF the disease instead of its
cause, so still other research was neces-
sarv. To test this he undertook to sepa-
rate the organisms from the tissues in
which they lay, and to study them isolat-
ed. Having taken some of the serum OF
ox-blood, he heated it repeatedly so as to
destroy any organisms that might be in
1T. Then he placed small particle of
tubercular human lung in this, and left
it to terminate. The organisms developed
and multiplied slowly, and only at
temperature between 81 and lO4 degrees
f. A drop of this fluid was next trans
terred to a new portion Of the prepared
serum, and again the multiplication of
the organisms fostered. This was repeat
ed through several successive genera
tons. Portions of various of these in
fected fluids were injected into the alb
dominal cavity, or into the interior OF
the eyeballs, or into. the veins of healthy
animals. Over sixty different animals
-, 81 i
tuberculosis was produced The pre-
pared serum, uninfected, was also in
jected if other animals, but produced no
results. In one instance, in which four
out of six healthy guinea-p pigs were in
oculated with the fifth artifcially propo-
gated generation of the organisms from
tubercular human lung, tubercular
disease of severe character set in in al
the four inoculated guinea-pigs, while
the remaining two continued perfectly
healthy These are the facts upon
which DR.. Koch bases his belief that the
essential cause of consumption is found
IN these minute rod like organisms.
which, gaining access to bodies in which
tavorlng conditions are present. cause
the formation of tuberculous masses about
themselves. The claim which DR.. Cutter
makes for his friend, Dr. Salisbury, will
be read with the more interest, as it en-
ables us to compare his methods with
those of Dr. Koch. II vinegar Yeast is
really the active agent in producing c, n
sumption, the whole matter is greatly
simplified. DR.. Cutter does not say
whether any experiments in the direct
Inoculatlon of vinegar yeast, or of the
blood containing it, have been made or
no. The settling of the merits of differ.
ent claimants for the honor of first dem
onstrating the true tubercle poison will
have to be left to their professional
brethren, who alone are fitted to Judge
in the matter.
New YORK, May 10, 1882.
It is gratifying to see publicity given
to Prof. Tyndail letter on.the discovery
Of DR.. Koch. All honor to these gentle
men for their labors which shed luster on
their countries and age There should
be no detraction made of their advances
since in point of time they confirm what
mas been done in this country during the
last % years. '--'
Three stand points are of vital interest
IN relation to disease, and are usually
taken separately by those who have to