The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-05-21
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
vEDlcAL PROGRESS.

liiIDIi ~ ihDt mss.
That cousumption phiH sis pulmonaiis, or
tuberculosis, az savants seem now inclined
TO call it, is not an inherited but contagious
disease is one VI the most startling of the
many wonderful discoveries which have
marked the recent progress OF medical
science. Yet this, or something very near
it, seems to he settled by the sum Of various
recent Investigations. Some hint at the
present discovery was given thirty years
ago by DR.. Budd, Of Bristol, England, the
discoverero the propagation OF typhoid fever
ly sewage polluted water, who expressed
the conviction that consumption of the lungs
was a disease strictly analogous to the or
dinary infectious eruptve fevers, in every
thing but the slowncss of progress. In 1865
Mr.. Nillemin demonstrated by experiments
that tubercle could he communicated to the
lower animals by incubation from
the human subject and the inn
portNnt light thus obtained has been fol
lowed up 10y other Observers showing that
similar infection could he produced by caus
ing animals to breathe air which was charged
with tubercular matter in state of fine di-
vision, and that the bovine form of tubercle
could be communicated by eating the flesh
or drinking the milk of diseased animals.
The latest important contribution TO this
invaluable series of researches has been Ivy
DIR. Koch whose masterly discoveries on the
contagium of splenic fever caused him to be
transferred to the post of Government Adj
wiser in the Imperial Health Department Of
Berlin. Professor John Tyniall, in letter
TO the London Times, summarizes an address
delivered March a, 1882, before the Ply
Koch entitled 1.-The Etioogy of Tu.
bercular Disease" and in which he
makes the startling statement that one
seventh of the deaths of the human race are
due to Observation-Disclosures, while fully one-third
of those who die in active middle age are car.
ried off by the same cause. We quote Pro
fessor Tyndall:
rror to Koch 1t had been placed beyond doubt thai
the disease was communicable; and the aim of tilt
berlin physician has been to determine the precis
character Of the contagium which previous expert
meuts incubation and lnha laton had proved 10 b
capa,ls of indefinite transfer and reproductions III
subjected the diseased organs OF great numbe. o
men and animals to microscopic examination, an'
fouud i'm All cases the tubercIss Infested with
minute rod shaped parasite which, by means of
special dive he differentiated from the surroundin
tissue. 1t was, lie saws In the highest degree i'm
pregsye To observe In the centre of the tuberce ce
the minute organism which had created It, Trans
ferring directly. by lnoculatlon the tuherculou
matter from diseased animals 10 hea"hy ones
To meat the 1lter,Ion that II was not te p,ra,,t n
self, hut some virus in which 1t was lmbeded In III
diseased organ ihat was Inc real cohtAg"n' u" G."
time and thronph many successive generations. VIII
aspeck Of matter for example, from tuberculol
human lung lie infected substance prepared ant
nntr,menI to the naros,ts I,sre he nsrm,tts1 #
grow and multiply. From this new generation
TOOK minute sample ana infected herewith ire
csnar,,,on altar r.ner,tlon NJ 5riyi yara dsv.lons
in this way, without the Intervention of disease.
the END ot the process which sometimes eh"rac
the mr,ael JIciVf were Introdnced into the r,rcul
tIon OF healthy animals OF various kinds. In eve
case lnoenauo" was followed ny Tue reproduction al
nal disease In n vast number Of cas-
Koch has examined the matter expectorat
from ths lungs Oh persons n"ecteu WIN lh'h'
matter eynectorated from the Iungs Of nerso
thus afflicted he has never found the
gahlHm' Inc e1pectorat"d matter In tie ioin