Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-08-08
FERRAN'S FRAUD.
WHAT An AMERICAN PHYSICIAN
DISCOVERED.
He Claims that the So-caiied Chol-
era incubation is the
Basest Deception.

The following letter to the New York
Tribune from lis correspondent at BARGE
Iona, Spain, written a short time since, will
be read with the greatest interest by those
VINO have perused the recent accounts of
DIR. Ferran's so-called cholera incubation.
The correspondent says
It seems to me that Dr. Ferran is a char
latan and that his NEGOTIATIONS for cholera
are silly apings of Koch. Although the
researches OF the great German had opened
up q possibility of protective results 1t was
hard 10 think that an incubation Of the so
called huid-Of-cuture would prevent the
true pathogenic action of the generic chOl-
-era-germ or bacillus. There was no war
rant for believing that one attack of chol-
era may not be followed by another in the
same person. The textbooks state that
there are numerous cases on record of per-
sons who have had the disease more than
once The uniform testimony of all who
have expressed themselves on this feature
agrees that one attack does not and cannot
prevent the occurrence of another. This
fact robs the operation of incubation of a
fundamental principle. We vaccinate
against smallpox, as one attack, as rule
gives exemption from others. If it were so
with cholera we might look on incubation
Will Dul IL Tic II llt dltSCh CUil-
fers no protection it seems folly to believe
that vaccination would do any better
Koch had never ventured to hold to any
such idea, and it was hard TO think Of sci
enlist who had got ahead of my great Ger
man master.
Yet, thinking that the matter was GER
tainly worth investigation, and desiring to
embrace the modus for my own countrys
sake if it seemed veritable, | iourneved
ir,rp TO oil that ,ArlI Of n
morphology of the microbe i'll question.
At Barcelona l was met by information
that the doctor had Just arisen from 4 ban
quet al the Grand Continental, and had gone
out to Alcira with his ears full of con-
gratuiations and his cans full of the Gull
ture-tiUid. | followed him by boat to Va
iencia and thence out to the favored town.
Alcira is situated remarkably favorable to
cholera visitation, and the presence of the
dreaded bacillus might have been suspected
IN the Shiny greenish waters that bathed
the piers of the bridges which connects the
island with the mainland, and which sent
i close dampness III over the town. The
houses looked God forsaken and dilapi-
dated, and no sooner were my feet on the
island than | felt that the epidemic was in
deed L thing to dread.
SEARCHING OUT \ PATIENT.
! found the town the scene of q strange
wild excitement. DR.. Fcrran in company
with his friend and disciple, young Dr.
PAUL., had Just arrived, and at the time
that l entered the town the two gentlemen
were enjoying great reception from crowds
of people who were focking to the hospi-
tal-yards to receive the wonderful inocula-
tion. Several hundreds had been vacci-
mated and there were evidently many
thousands awaiting their turn. Not only
the citizens, but others from all of the
country around about were full of the en-
thusasm, and the section Farraniana was
beyond question the popular resort of the
day. All classes of people were represented,
and all were equally enthusiastic, as they
pushed and pulled and fought for the privi-
iege of getting into the precincts, from
which they came out one by one with un-
inistakable joy written on their faces, as
they felt with full, unquestioning belief
that they were fortified against the terrible
scourge that is already wearing out the soul
ofSpain.
at once sought out an inoculated person
and opened up a clinical study of his
symptoms. He had been touched at
$50 A. u. of a Monday, and | saw him the
next day at noon. There was great and
intense constitutional disturbance, with
fever. vomiting and diarrhea. But the
symptoms were not choleraic though ba-
cilE were found in the blood and evacua-
tons. There was a notable nausea, with
heat ana pain in the stomach, and exqui-
site intestinal tormina following. Rest
ieSsnesS, 9alpitation and headache We're
marked, and within twelve hours from the
time | met him the patient had the object
i've phenomena of true choleraic collapse,
and the discharges resembled those of
cholera. But there was no cholera about
it. The diarrhea of cholera has the merit
of hniny f,aiDlpSs and this v-os moi Mora
over. there were really no signs of what
cholera should be. There was some vomit-
ing and much hebetude, great weak
ness and considesble fever. In fact
something of Rtate had been pro-
duced, but | would have defied any one to
have diagnosed it as cholera, or as q SEM
blant state. The observations settled
nothing i'll my mind
saUBBED BY THE sPANIARp.
sent in my card to DR.. Ferran, asking
for an interview but he did not answer it.
! then addressed him a note asking in the
name of science if he would see me. Still
no answer was deigned. | then went down
to the section and feed an officer to take
me into the august presence of the great
doctor. l found him and his assistant in Il
large and well-lighted apartment, the floor
bare and the furniture of the plaineSt wood.
The gentleman from Valencia was lunch
ing, and | had the pleasure of seeing the
gaStronomic efforts of a tall, dark man,
with heavy brows half-concealing a steel
blue eve, a large. sensual mouth, and an
expression of cOuntenance that was not at
all gracious, but rather expressive of GER
tain manner that showed suspicion or man
ifest lack of trustfulness.
| introduced myself as a student of DR..
Koch, and the Spaniard treated me TO a
Sneer, q bow and an abrupt What can |
do for YOU
= would like to learn something as to
your inoculations,' | began adding, i
am an American
- I do not propose to acquaint you or any
one else with my secret, the doctor inter-
rupted. Ii is my property and is not to
be revealed, though ultimately | may sell
the right 10 use il in other countries than
Spain
This took my breath away
You would steal my secret y he
sncered; and Dr. PAUL. opened the door,
TO indicate that the interview was at an
end. | came away feeling snubbed, but
more determined than ever that | would
see the matter to its end. In my opinion,
the man was not a legitimate worker, and
| wanted TO find out his method Though
$1,000 persons had been inoculated, ii
seemed more than possible that the man
was only inoculating with something like
sepucemia. Why true scientist would
not say anything about his work was more
than my mind could conceive. especially
as it was generally published that he was
using the most legitimate means
ANOTHER TACK.
/ sought out an intelligent man, and from
him ascertained the name of tailor who
was an unbeliever in the inoculations. ]
visited the tailor, and found him pro.
nounced in his distrust of the craze. He
protested against it, and boldly declared il
to be his belief that the protection would
not protect. 1t is amusing TO see Spaniard
demonsuative and denunciative, and this
man was emphatically So told him how
DR. Ferran had repealed me, and asked him