Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1883-05-12

one and the rapid destruction in the other
! Although there is some similarity in the tuber.
Gle Of phthiss pulmonalis, and certain Of the
new formations Of syphilis, the former pre- emf.
nenily attacks the lungs and serous membranes;
while syphilis attacks by preference other
/ structures. Under the microscope, the NOR
bid products Of leprosy and syphilis, like those
of lupus and granula,ion tissue-in fact like all
that proliferate from the inter cellular connect.
i've tIssue-bear certain resemblance in com
mon
| In syphilis, all the structures of the body
may be invaded; many Of the internal vscera
! are apt to be; least prone Of all TO its on
| slaughts, is the nervous system. When the
nervous system does suffer, II is at the seat OF
the great central depots Of nervous matter
the brain and the spinal cord But, as patho-
| logists have shown, many of the symptoms on
the part of the nervous system are not so much
due to the direct involvement Of nervous matter,
as TO the construction OF blood vessels by syphi-
litic deposits in their coats. II is thus that
symptoms OF softening OF the brain, or paraly-
sis may follow the destruction Of nervous cen
tres, subsequent to syphilitc involvement of
the nutritivc bloou vessels VI the part.
In leprosy, the nervous system is always in.
voved but unlike the syphilitic deposits,
those of leprosy avoiding the central masses,
conhne themselves to the peripheral nerve dis
tribution, and by preference choose certain
distinct nerve bundles, which are ra,Siy or
Heytr attacked in syphilis. From the involve
ment Of these nerves, develop great many OF
the Characteristic phenomena Of leprosy. Afro.
ply, anethesia, fattyand brousdegeneration OF
muscles, hyperrstheiic congestcd spots, which
later become painless, liberation and gangrene,
are all symptoms referabe to the involvement
Of nutritve nerve fibres Medical literature
al
gers and hand, following an accidental section
Of the ulnar nerve and Chareot gives the par.
ticulars OF a case in which a cicatrix involving
the medmn nerve OF the arm was followed by
an Lucrative eruption on the skin of the fore
arm and hand. The same thing follows the
| leprous infringement of the same nerves.
| The great tubercular promnences Of tuber.
cular leprosy-which, according TO the theory
Of Doctor Fitch, could only be confounded with
gummatous inhtrations of the sub -dermal tissue
in syphilis-difier decidedly from these in their
chronicity and slowncss to ulcerate. No new
formation is so apt to break down and slough
with deep, ragged edges as the gummata OF
syphilis. A like sloughng Of the tubercular
prominences in lcprosy is unknown.
The last difference upon which | wish to
dwell is the durability Of syphilis and the hope.
lessness of leprosy. know Of no class of
cases which physician sees enter his Office
with more satisfaction than those of syphilis
| Here he at once realizes that before him is an
opportunity TO illustrate one of the grandest
triumphs Of his art; for there is no disease
which he can combat with such efficacy as
syphilis. The mortality has been reduced to
| hve or six per cent, when formerly il was
thirty to forty. About ninety-ive out Of every
hundred get well under modern treatment
But what OF leprosyl How many of those who
| rt,tn n a.
return cured2 The annals Of medicine record
no disease in which the prognosis is so hope.
less or the prospects so dismal. This thera.
peutic difference alone should establish their
non-identitv The attention of the public of
Honolulu has often been called to the historic
fact of the pre.existence of leprosy. Leprosy
numbers its years with history. We might
almost say that humanity, in its infancy, lisped
its dread of disease it could not stay OF
syphilis, no record comes before the fifteenth
century. The best written account of it at
that time was by monk in Latin poem, in
which he expresses his ignorance Of the nature
Of disease which spared not laymen nor the
holy churchmen, mobiles or kings; and
the papal throne. This was the first
general introduction of syphilis in Europe;
and as it followed shortly after the epidemic
of leprosy which had been brought to Europe
by returning crusaders, had subsidized, some
medical historians ascribed a causative relation
ship between leprosy and syphilis. This was,
OF course, soon proved to be erroneous /; but
Doctor Fitch, in his theory, reverses history,
hitching the cart before the horse.
In attempting TO answer the question, "Why
does not leprosy abound in other places where
syphilis is prevalent p Doctor Fitch makes
such iar-fetched and unscientfc application
lsG nC,
OF modern science, that cannot pass it with
out refutation. | refer TO the series of expert
ments by which Pasteur has succeeded in pro-
tecting by vaccination, against the terrible
ravages OF splenic fever among sheep. Doctor
Fitch says; "Pasteur has discovered that by
taking drop of blood from an animal affected
by splenic fever and putting it into plate OF
bouillon that in few hours the bouillon will
be swarming with the peculiar germs which
produce the disease, Now take drop from
the FIRST plate and put it into a fresh plate OF
bouillon. Again it will swarm with germs
But the germs are much less active than in the
first plate. Continue this experiment and by
a number Of fresh transpantations the germs
come to have very low grade of vitality, and
after time period arrives when by inocula-
ting animals from portion of this worn out
product Of the original disease the animals
inocuated run no risk, but on the contrary, are
thereby completely protected from the original
disease" "Now," he adds % In
my opinion, this is just what is taking place
here" Just what Doctor Fitch means by the
application is difficult to tell but suppose
that he means the poison Of syphilis, when for
j the first time introduced into the blood of a
l people who have never known the disease be-
fore, the first case is very severe but each sue
cessive case inoculated develops weaker
| nj her tha He,
constitute to Doctor Fitchs theory the
"bouillon of Pasteur. A little reflection
soon makes apparent the msapplication.
/ Pasteur takes from sheep, sick with sple-
mic fever drop of its blood and introduces
1t, not into the blood Of a healthy sheep, but
into bouillon, medium or soil to which il is
foreign. The poison (blood) containing vast
numbers OF peculiar germ, or bacterium, is
introduced into an uniavorable soil, and there
fore, after the bouillon becomes filled with the
Iproliferating bacteria, some Of lower grade OF
vitality are produced, which, when trans.
planted to fresh bouillon, develop forms OF
still less vitality. II this be continued, after q
series of propagations, germs Of but slight
activity are obtained. Pasteur, by inoculating
or vaccinating sheep with this, developed a
low grade of fever which efiectually projected
the animals from the fatal type of the disease.
But, II direct incubation, with the uncultvated
blood Of spenic fever animal, be practiced
upon healthy unvaccinated sheep, they invari.
ably get the severe form Of the disease and die.
Syphilis is a contagious disease, which is con.
tracted only by inoculation through direct con.
tact from one person to another, and not by
means Of any intermediate "bouilon culture. =
The poison is necessarily given off from dis.
eased person to one who is healthy and un.
syphilized, since anyone who has once had
syphilis, never contracts il a second time. TIC
make proper application of Pasteurs dis
covery clear, let us consider smallpox for a