Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-05-17

tistics place the annual death rate
from tuberculosis throughout the
world at 3, 900, 900, and it is therefore GER
tain that few questions can be Of more I'M
portance to the human race than this.
Science, however, has not been able to
penetrate the mystery Of the disease. The
nature and origin of tubercle have indeed
been examined and discussed in the most
voluminous way, but without making any
advances. There have been two schools OF
medical theory in regard to pulmonary
phthisis the one maintaining the unity
Of the disease, or in other words, holding
that it is always the result OF tubercle
the other contending for its duality, that
is to say, maintaining that while in some
cases it is essentially tuberculous, in others
it may be essentially inAammatory. The
main point of contention formerly was
whether the tubercles produced the in
hammatory effects, or the latter produced
the tubercles. The more recent theory is
Stl4t III Llu5b VASES tuUcICuiOSt5 auu
Inflammation are intimately combined
that 1t is very difficult to separate them,
but that the Inflammation has a special
character which largely warrants the opin-
ion that it depends upon the presence Of
tubercle.
Unfortunately none of the Investigations
of any of the schools had until recently
thrown much light upon the matter. 1t is
true that the infectious character OF
tuberculosis had been asserted by sew.
eral students, the first decided advance
in this direction having been made by
Villemin, in 1865. Some German scien-
fists questioned the possibility of inocula.
tion with tubercle, but Cohnheim, who
at first denied the discovery OF Villemin,
after himself making some careful expert
ments, became q convert to the doctrine
| of specific tuberculous poison, and
though it cannot be said that this doctrine
of medical opinion has certainly been in
that direction more and more strongly.
All this inquiry, however, did not explain
the origin and real nature of tubercle.
1t was perceived to be a cellular struc-
ture, having what was assumed to be an
inherent tendency to undergo cheesy or
fbrineus metamorphosis. How these NOR
bid growths came, and why, Science,
however, could not discover, and there
disease failed. Now, however, comes Dr.
Koch, brilliant young physician of Ger.
many, and by long series of careful ex.
periments, pushes these investigations a
step further; discovers that the tubercle
cells are inhabited land caused by) a
microscopic parasite, and ascertains that
the parasite and the tubercle can be propa-
gated indefinitely by incubation.
Professor Tyndall has introduced DIR.
Koch's experiments to the English public.
He says that 90 the aim of the Berlin ply
"sician has been to determine the precise
character of the con tagium which previ-
"ous experiments on incubation and inha-
"lation had proved to be capable of indie.
=" finite transfer and reproduction. He
subjected the diseased organs Of a great
number of men and animals to miscro.
"scopic examination, and found, in all
leases, the tubercles infested with min.
'"ute, rod-shaped parasite, which, by
"means of special dye, he differentiated
"from the surrounding tissue. 1t was, he
"says, in the highest degree impressive to
"observe in the center of the tubercle cell
"the minute organism which had created
ait. Transferring directly, by incubation,
"the tuberculous matter from diseased ami.
FINALS to healthy ones, he in every in
"stance reproduced the disease. To meet
"the objection that it was not the parasite
"itself, but some virus in which it was
imbedded in the diseased organ, that
"was the real contagium, he cultivated his
"bacilli artifcially for long periods of time,
"and through many successive genera
"tions. With speck of matter, for ex-
"ample, from tuberculous human being,
he infected substance prepared, after
"much trial, by himself, with view of
affording nutriment to the parasite
{" Here he permitted it to grow and mul.
tiply. From this new generation he
took minute sample, and infected
Herewith fresh nutritive matter, thus
producing another brood. Generation
after generation of bacilli were developed
" in this way without the intervention Of
" disease" The proof of the truth of the
theory was made at length by inoculating
healthy animals with the parasites thus
bred without the aid of disease. In every
instance the original disease was generated
by the introduction of the bacilli into the
system.
This is conclusive as to the origin of tn.
bercle, apparently, but it is too soon to
f1atter ourselves that cure for eonsump.
ton has been found. The hypothesis upon
which the hope of remedy rests, is that
of incubation, but it cannot be said that
DR.. Koch's experiments hitherto justify
the expectation that the bacilli can be ed
ucated into milder form, as has been done
in other diseases. The result of his inves-
LEGATIONS, in fact, is to show that SO far as
he proceeded the virulence of the disease
was nothing abated by breeding the para.
sites for generations artiicially. The twen-
tieth or the fftieth generation from the
genuine tubercular bacilli proved as capa.
BILE of generating virulent tuberculosis as
their ancestors, and there was no indica-
ton of any amelioration in the character
of the disease which they produced. In
the course of his experiments he has estab-
lished the infective character of tubercular
disease in the most positive manner, and
thus has set at rest one long disputed point.
The discovery of the tubercle parasite is
ho doubt most important addition to
human knowledge, for though at the
moment it does not seem that incubation
offers any remedy, the Investigations of
Pasteur into splenic fevers justify belief
that the cure will be evolved in due time.
The two discoveries SO closely resemble
one another indeed as to suggest the posi-
bility that parasitic origin may ulti-
mately be established for many other pain
full and difficult diseases, and that in
fact Science has reached a point at
which every step of fresh advance
NAV be expeeted tn TEEN with the most