Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1890-11-27

The great discoveries which the world
las made extend through the centuries.
Little hy little has been added to the sum
tAtal ~ human knowledge. Each new
l.-c0very has led to others Great natural
llw. have existed since time began. but
man ha> had to search them out for him
-cif The laws which govern the use Of
seam the telegraph, the telephone, the
i.nno-raph and hundreds of other great
mentions are a. old al least a. the world.
but man had to find them out for HIM
IT, The world might have had tele-
-~aph 5000 wears ago as well as now. If
man had only known the law which makes
telegraph possible; but he was in isno-
rance II it, and the telegraph would not
ave been known for 5000 years to come
Is ,hoat discovery of that law
Who shall say what scientific discover
r. are TO be made in the future; what the
max and extent of scientific possibilities:
Who shall say how many natural laws
exist Of which scientific discovery and
Invention may yet avail themselves and
use FOR the benefit of mankind Who
AL say how many laws are yet to bc
ID -coyereI relative to these bodies Of ours
and the cure aud the prevention of the
multitude Of diseases which now destroy
health ana bring death long before il
Ought - conc. II : not too much TO
/ ,,F
tie future will largely eliminate disease
and greatly prolong human life.
To-day physicians tell Us that though
~r.-rcry j. an exact science. not all j.
known by any means relative 10 what
disease j., il cause, lis prevention and it,
cure. hut ii Is expected that future research
and discoveries viii throw a food Of light
upon this most important subject, and
taus make plain what now sometimes seems
.!.-b -..>i ..-.-:~-.~
cd world has been at fever heat OF inter
est over an alleged cure for consumption, by
incubation. The man who claims 10
have discovered the exact nature of this
terrible disease and possible cure for it
may be right or wrong; but 1t is not i'm
possible or very improbable that he is Oh
the right track This however may be
said. Professor Koch, who is a German
Las recently published statement which
according 10 the average estimate as pub
ls>hed IN the newspapers, puts an appear
ance u plausibility upon his theory; but il
Viii Of course take experiments and time
tp thoroughly substantiate ii. In anv
lr in b.a 10
highly honorable one. II he fail he will
have made that honest, daring effort, with
ont which Harvey, Jenner snd Franklin
would have never given 10 science their
great discoveries. If he succeed he puts
the climax TO the wonderful work of the
Nineteenth century in lis scientific pro-
.ress.
It j.. a. yet. far from clear that the
popular antIcipations will be realized.
There j., indeed much reason to believe
that Professor koch's discovery will not
haEe the far reaching potency that the
unframed public has. with more enthnsi-
a-m than reason, FASTENED to attribute to
Ia fac, there is really very little
kn0wn about the subject Professor Koch
himself states that he is still in the expert
mental condition with his theory. and that
At the most he feels confident only of
Their lncipient stage. That consumption,
fully developed and firmly seated IN the
- stem, can be cured, is not only uncer-
tain, but is scarcely promised as possible
He makes this modest statement Patients
under treatment for the first stage of
p1thisl- were free from every symptom of
u >ease. Patients with cavities not vet too
highly developed. improved considerably
and were almost cured, and only in those
whose lungs contained many large cavities
could no Improvement be proved" Judg
ing from the reported interviews with
physicians at home and abroad recently
published there is a decided concensus of
opinion as to the efficiency of the new
treatment in all external forms of tuber-
cuio>i> and also in the frs. stage of pull
monary tuberculosis.
Published interviews show that the atti-
tude Of the medical fraternity towards the
discovery is that of impartial expectancy.
The doctors express unbounded confidence
in Professor Koch, but express their belief
that much further experimentation will be
necessary before hnal and authoritative
Judgment upon the worth of his theory
and cure can be pronounced. Several medi-
cal institutions in this country, with lauda-
bic zeal have sent representatives to Berlin
10 study the subject in detail.