St. Paul daily globe., 1890-12-30
A PROMISED CURE.

The consumption cure that the Michi-
gan physician is celebrating does not
follow the methods of DR.. KOCH, and
operates in the line of different theory.
If it realizes the promise as set forth
by DR.. SHURLY, of Detroit, the discoy-
erer. it will go to much larger duty than
the Berlin agency. The latter has not
cured any developed cases of conSump-
ton. 1t is claimed to have cured lupus,
or skin diseases, and, when used in
time, is believed to be efficacious to pre-
vent consumption. This is the limit
anticipated for it. As consumption is
not usually to be operated against until
1t becomes apparent, the field for effect
i've work i'll the Koch case is limited.
The Berlin scientist assumes that con-
sumption is the work of the bacIlli in
the tissues, and he aims to destroy the
latter. The theory of DR.. SHURLY is
that the bacilli can be fatally reached
by inhalation, and the diseased tissues
destroyed by an injection. He SAYS:
The theories of the cause and treatment of
disease are old, but they have been aban-
doned latterly for other and newer ones.
Experiments IN the treatment of other dis
eases led up to these upon consumption They
have progressed for several years in one way
or another, and if you try to trace them back
they branch into wide fields of Investigation
When we first took up the work of attempt-
ing to find cure tor phthisis we were forced
10 the conclusion that the first step must be
20 arrive at some method of local treatment.
Admitting that the bacilli were not the prux-
2mate cause of the trouble, the diseased tissue
of the lungs, where they are found, was the
center of the disease i'll each patient and we
were forced TO the conclusion that in at
tempting cu1e the first step must be to
eradicate this seat of the ajlment. 1t was alb.
solutely necessary to check the progress of
decay there. as ii was a source of contamina-
ton that spread It's influence throughout the
entire system.
There is entire frankness and no sus-
plcion of concealment in any of the
methods oreXperiments of DR.. SHURLY.
Assuming the cause of the disease, his
battling task was to find some effective
method of destroying the affected It's
sues and killing the bacilli without
also killing the patient. His numerous
experiments and their results are de-
tailed. Success came in the first essen
tial, as believed at last, to combina.
tion with the chloride of sodium. This
did the work for the bacilli. A still
greater task was in finding neutralizer
for the poison in the system of which
the bacilli are the offspring and not the
cause. This was finally attained in a
fusion of gold and iodine. This is ad.
ministered by injection, and the results
of numerous tests upon animals are re.
ported as meeting anticipations. Gases
of pronounced consumption in human
beings are alleged to show evidences OF
complete relief. Confidence is mani
tested 10y DR.. SHURLY and other compe
tent parties who have investigated his
processes that the vulnerable side OF
the ruthless destroyer of countless
thousands in nearly all lands annually
has at last been disclosed, and the the
CRY that consumption is incurable will
be put away with the delusions of the
past. But it is best to be conservativ,
III anticipating results. All these sci
entific processes are still in the expert
mental stages, but they will be watched
with intense and hopeful interest.