The morning call., 1890-12-21

he.ARIS, Dec. Yesterday was
tSe among the few privileged ones who
ASsS saw the syringe for the subcuta-
neous injections used by DR.. Koch and his
followers. 1t resembles the Pravaz
syringe used by morphinomaniacs, and is
composed of glass cylinder, carefully
graduated and pointed at one end, silver
spout with rubber balloon, and two hollow
needles. The spout closed, the glass
cylinder is filled with the liquid, and this is
injected under the skin by pressure on the
rubber balloon.
Yesterday, also. DR.. Cornil, professor at
the medical college, received from Berlin
certain quantity of lymph prepared by DR..
Koch and destined for experiments in the
French hospitals.
10 avoid all accidents en- route, the two
bottles containing lymph were packed in
box hewn from solid piece of wood; there
we're two pierced compartments, in order
that the bottles should always remain in
standing position. These bottles were of
the same form as those that are used for
saudarac, corked with emery. and covered
with hood of gold-beater's skin: each
bottle containing not more than thimble-
1uil OF liquid that resembled in color
Marsha wine, but there is no oily deposit
and no trace of stain upon the bottles.
AT the st. Louis Hospit al were innculated
yesterday two men and two women, but
only in week can any opinion be formed
as to the remedy of DR.. Koch. This opinion
cannot be defnitiye, for DIR. Schaffer. who
superintends the experiments, says that as
the injection may relieve, not cure, we must
wait year at least tor results.
The French physicians are far from shar-
ing the enthusiasm Of the Germans, but
they are willing to give DIR. Koch's remedy
fair trial. The truth is. vie French are
afraid that if they refuse to investigate these
German theories they will prepare for them
selves future of rdicule.
DR.. Schaffer acknowledges that the
patients inoculated have experienced the
sensations predicted by Dr. Koch, but for
the present there is nothing to guide the
physicians. except these same sensations
French physicians are continually making
experiments and since the Pasteur discovery
two celebrated Frenchmen have devoted
their time to the study of the question:
Can consumption he cured by inocula.
tion?"
While DR.. Koch inoculates persons who
already suffer from the disease the French
sayants believe that consumption may be
avoided by incubation, in the same way
that small. pox is prevented by vaccination.
These physicians, Drs. Richet and Herr
court, would not have given their results SO
soon to the world had not DR.. Koch's dis
covery forced them to rather premature
explanations.
Their experiments have been most salts
factory, but they have not yet reached the
point where it can be demonstrated that in
oculatlng human beings with sterilzed
tubercle bacilli will prevent consumption.
Last April only Drs. Richet and Hericourt
began their experiments: First, of twenty
four rabbits they in0culated four, and left
twenty without incubation as witnesses"
The four rabbits were first inoculated with
very small quantity ofsthe vaccine, after
ward the dose was increased. When the
vaccine had taken effect an equal dose of
active tubercle virus was administered to
lnoculated and non-inoculated rabbits. Of
the twenty rabbits non-inoculated sixteen
died from consumption, and the four inocu-
lated rabbits exhibited not the slightest
symptoms of the dread disease.
In September the physicians recommended
their experiments. Then they inoculated
five rabbits and kept four as Witnesses"
After administering the active virus of con-
sumption, all the witnesses" died, and the
inoculated rabbits remained in good health.
For tile preparation of vaccine they kill q
rabbit, and, after introducing microbes into
the lungs. they plunge all in bath favor
able for their development. When the
microbes have ACCOMPLISHED their work, the
dead rabbit, lungs and microbes are SUBJ
United to an intense heat, the microbes are
killed, and then is found the principle of
vaccine.
Pasteur began his experiments with rab
bits, because these animals suffer from the
same diseases as human beings. A rabbit
is subject to all the diseases caused by mi
crObes, and, in fact, all animals except the
dog are liable to human diseases. These
same physicians have made some curious ex-
periments by the TRANSMISSION of dogs blood;
surprising that dogs blood contains prin-
cipies capable of resisting consumption. they
introduced these substances into the rabbits
organism by TRANSMISSION, slight at first, SO
as not to kill their animals, and found that
the rabbits resisted much longer the progress
of tuberculosis. Perhaps, were these ex-
peflments continued it would be discovered
that the TRANSMISSION of dogs blood is the
remedy for consumption.
The French people think they have found
an answer to the Mckinley bill. Petroleum
has been discovered in the Limagne plain,
and the inhabitants suppose the whole soil
impregnated with the precious oil. There
Is sufficient petroleum TO furnish France.
during centuries, with light. heat and
power, so that the $40, 00O. 900 paid to Amer
lea each year for this article may now be
devoted to something else.
This is not the first time that there has
been an ''oil fever" in France. Alfred
Arbanx, fencing master, announced to his
eompatriots that before the end Of the year
he would have millions, because in his gar
den he had discovered petroleum. 1t seems
that digging in his garden he perceived an
odor OF petroleum., and investigating he
discovered little stream on whose surface
was a layer of oil. A piece of wooden cloth
was dipped in the water and on removal was
covered with an oily substance that certainly
resembled petroleum. Arbaux mentioned
his discovery TO 10 one but read every
scientific work that treated of oils. and
without naming its origin, submitted his
petroleum for analysis. Thoroughly con-
WINGED that France possessed oil wells,
Arbaux attempted concealment no longer
and received offers from all quarters.
France first" was always his reply. At
last Arbaux had concession Of all the Pc
troleum wells in the communps Of Clermont-
FerIand. Pont du Chateau, Malintrat. etc.
Digging was begun and continued for $50
feet and petroleum was not found. The
bituminnus matter common to that region
had caused the mistake, and the French
then renowned the dream of riyaling the
English and Americans.
Some one suggested that digging deeper
the oil might appear, but the great scientist
Monsieur Julien. destroyed all hope then,
and would like to destroy all hope at the
present time.
II do not believe there is any petroleum
in France; do not mean that there never
has been any, but certainly there is no
more. 1t has been transformed into btu
men, and if there be those willing to sink
capital in searching for petroleum it is not
my province to prevent them. If be mis-
taken, IL they find oil not yet transformed
into bitnmen. so much the better, shall be
the first to proclaim the news, but | have
not grain OF faith"
BARONESS ALrHEA SALVADOR.