Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-08

DR.. l.. Hirschkourtz, of this city, was,
when in Berlin, student under DR..
Koch, the discoverer of the consump-
tion cure, and passed his examination
under this celebrated student.
He is in receipt of a copy of the
Deutschen Medizinischen Wochens-
chrift, a medical publication in Ger
many to which Dr. Koch contributed an
article when his discovery was first an
nounced, about his cure.
In substance he says that it was his
intention to complete his investigation
into the merits Of his discovery before
allowing it to become known to the
public. But with the news OF his work,
many erroneous statements had been
made, which had no foundation in fact.
Though he felt that he had accom-
plished considerable, much remained to
be done, and any statement must neces-
sarily be incomplete. Experiments
were being made continuously by two
doctors, under his direction, which
were progressing satisfactorily. 1t
would not be prudent at this time to
make public the composition of the
lymph, or the method of it's preparation.
but this would be done later 1t is a
clear, brown fluid, which must be
diluted before use with distilled water,
and which when diluted decomposes
very rapidly, necessitating great care to
keep it pure.
When taken internally the lymph pro-
duces no effect, but must be injected
simultaneously. The best place to in
iect it was proven to be in the patients
bank, between the shoulders
1t was early ascertained that the
remedy affects human beings differently
from other animals. A guinea pig could
stand an injection of two cubic cent?
meters undiluted, but healthy man
could only take at first .25 cubic cent?
meters, and this sproduced intense effects.
DR.. Koch took dose himself; he says
that in three or four hours, his limbs
began to twitch and he experienced
faintness, coughing, and difficulty in
breathing, which increased rapidly. In
the fifth hour he had severe chill, last
ing several hours, accompanied by
vomiting. His temperature rose to
1916 degrees Reamur. In twelve hours
the symptoms disappeared and his tenn
perature became normal. A heavy SEN
sation in his limbs and inclination of
ldiiItiSSs ldSOcQ SSNCIdl utSS.
The smallest dose found to have any
effect on healthy man or on invalids,
always excepting consumptives, was .Ol
cubic centimetre. Persons having tu-
berculosis, however, immediately expe-
1ience the symtomsdescribed above at the
smallest dose, together with an eruption.
like that of measles, on their necks and
chests. This appeared in every case
fact the doctors esteem highly as
means of diagnosis. The remedy does not
kill the bacelli lupus, but deadens the
tissue in which they are, so repeated in
jections are necessary given in increased
doses. 1t was found that in three weeks,
500 times as much could be given as at
the beginning. Remarkably good effects
resulted from three or four injections
at intervals e. one or two weeks.
But in cases of tuberculosis it was found
best to begin with dose of only .002 or
.001 cubic centimetres, but to increase
the amount the same as in cases of lupus.
Tie effect is to decrease the cough at the
first injection, and patients whose lungs
are only slightly effected are cured in a
few weeks. Patients with large cavities
in their lungs, while not cured were ben
Gifted.
DIR. Koch concludes that tuberculosis
in its first stages is durable by means of
his remedy; it may be efficacious in
other stages not too far advanced. He
qualities this by saying that his expert
ments have not proceeded far enough to
prove that relapses may not occur. but
thinks that if they do they can be sue
cessiully treated as the first attack was.
For the best results, it is necessary to
treat the disease at as early date as
possible. He urges the use of the reme-
dy as reliable means of diagnosing the
disease in suspected persons.