Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-26


A stan reporter has been informed by a
famous medical expert that there is a great as
constituent in store for the world.
Prof. Koch's discovery docs but herald new
era in the treatment of disease. Before long
all contagious and infectious complaints will be
tonight against on the lines which he has sug-
gested. Experiments are now almost COM
pletc conducted By the greatest medical au-
thorities in this country. which prove that
pneumonia, diphtheris. typhoid fever and 9TH
ers of the most fatal ailments known may be
Accessfully combated by injections of lymph.
A great mystery has been made about this
lymph, but the two most eminent analytical
chemists of the world have declared what it is
in such terms that there is no material doubt
regarding it's actual nature.
Ii must be understood that the bacillus Of
consumption-and the same proposition APP
plies to all other poisonous acknowledgements
in the course of its growth and development q
poison. This poison. separated from the bac-
terra themselves, is called a ''ptomaine." and
the most curious thing about it is that when
injected into the blood vessels of the body 1t
produces all the symptoms of the complaint to
which it belongs without the disease itself.
That IL TO say, the ptomaine OF typhoid, IN
jected into the circulation, causes fever In the
patient and other ordinary manifestations of
the ailment in question without Occasionlng
the Inflammation of IA certain gland in the in
testines which constitutes the actual trouble
known as typhoid"
THE KOCH THEORY.
Now, this poison, generated by the bacteria
in the process Of their growth. will destroy the
bacteria themselves, sooner or later. though
not usually before the death of the patient.
The notion of the Koch method of treatment
Is TO introduce into the blood vessels of :. VIC
tim OF commencing consumption Quantity OF
the specific ptomaine of tuberculosis, which
will suffice TO annihilate the germs of the dis
ease present. Thus the poison of the complain.
is made tn wipe out the germs of the disease
itself and that is the whole idea involved in
this novel and extraordinary system.
II is believed by some of the most eminent
medical authorities in the United States who
will not permit their names to be used at pres
ent. though the whole matter will be publicly
promulgated within month at the furthest
that almost certainly majority Of other fatal
contagious and infectious diseases are suscepti-
BILE Of cure In like manner, and upon this the
DRY experiments are now in progress.
The experiments in question are being con-
Quoted in this way: wire sterilized by fame
is scraped across fragment of tissue from the
throat of a person VINO has died of diphtheria.
Then ii is scratched upon some sterilized gela-
tine in tube plugged with cotton. the result
being that within a day or tyo the germs of
diphtheria. feeding upon the gelatine. have
multiplied 10 such an extent that "a colony il
formed-easily visible to the naked eye. Any
one of these germs, applied to an abrasion in
healthy throat. would cause the growth of the
false membrane and the disease. But i'll order
that the germs shall be pure and not involved
with any poison some of them are transferred
from one tube of gelatins to another until
what is called a pure culture" of them is OBJ
tanned.
ExPERIMESTINe ON GUINEA PICS.
In making the experiments referred to the
medical experts have taken a number of guinea
pigs and injected into their circulation the
ptomaine Of a disease-say diphtheria-which
is readily separated from the germs themselves
by chemical process. With the specific poison
thus obtained they have inoculatei The little
animals, repeating the operations several times.
Next week the crucial test is to be applied of
attempting to engender i'll the guinea pigs thus
treated the actual diphtheria by making little
cuts inside their TIN oats anG introducing the
diphtheria germ. 1t is known. absolutely that
these germs so introduced in normal guinea
pigs will produce diphtheria every time. II
these particular ones that have been inoculated
fail upon such treatment to exhibit diphtheretic
symptoms the wonderful knowledge will dawn
upon the world that diphtheria i'll human be-
ings may be prevented and. in its commencing
stages, stopped.
The experiments referred to. however do not
merely apply to diphtheria. but are being ex-
tended to pneumonia typhoid fever, carbuncle
and most of the other ordinarily fatal COM
plants TO which human flesh is heir.
DIR. KOCH KNOWS IT.
There Is no reasonable doubt that DIR. Koch
himself has had all this in view for a long time
past 1t is fact. though not published up to
this moment. that to a certain distinguished
American physician he spoke the other day of
his knowledge of two simple remedies included