Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-12-04
An Extended Article Describing the
Operation of the Much Heralded
Remedy.
Consumption Can Certainly be Cured
in It's Early Stages if Prop
erly Treated.
Some Interesting Experiments Made
by DR.. Koch With Very Salts
factory Results.


German physician, in last week S number
of the German Medical Weekly is entitled:
Further communications on the cure of
tuberculosis and experiments which DR..
Libbertz and Staff Surgeon PruhI perform
ed relating thereto under Prof Koch's di-
rection. In this article Prof Koch saws
he is yet indisposed to indicate the source
from which the curative matter is derived.
Neither is he ready to explain the method
of preparation. The reason he gives is
that the experimental work has not yet
been brought to completion. He states,
however, that the curative lymph itself
can now be obtained from DIR. Libbertz,
whose address is No % Luenberger
Strasse, Berlin.
The lymph is described as consisting of
brownish transparent liquid, 1t is so
prepared as to be p, oof against deterlora-
ton. When, however, it is diluted with
water to the necessary degree for use, the
matter is Liable to decay. 1t is necessary,
therefore, that the attenuations should be
perfectly steriiized by heat and preserved
in waddlng covering or prepared with
solution of phenOl so percentage strong,
When taken into the stomach, the cura-
tive matter proves to have no effect. 1t
must be applied simultaneously by means
of a valveless syringe. The kind of syringe
recommended by Prof Koch is one furnish
ed with a small, hollow rubber ball. This
syringe approved itself to him during his
meteorological experiments, It's merit is
that it can be easily and surely rinsed with
absolute alcohol and kept in perfectly
anticeptic condition. In thousands of cases,
he says, where it has been used for sub
cutaneous injections, not a single abcess
resulted
When the curative matter is applied to
patient the usual course is to inject it
under the skin of the back, between the
shoulder blade and in proximity to the
loins. The experiments show that human
beings are
MUCH MORE SUSCEPTIBLE
to the effect of the substance than are
guinea pigs, which have been largely used
in the cOurseof the Investigations Two
cubic centimeters of the fluid applied to a
guinea pig produced little if any, appar-
ent effect. twenty-five hundreths of a
cubic centimeter, however, intensely
affected healthy, full grown man who
was subjected to experiment. Prof.
Koch experimental with the fluid upon
his own body and describes the effect. He
injected twenty-five hundreths of a cubic
centimeter of the fluid under the skin Of
his upper arm. Three or four hours after
this injection was made he experienced a
contraction of the limbs and marked
feeling Of lassitude. At the same time he
felt desire to cough together with diff
Guilty of breathing These symptoms in
creased rapidly, and in the fifth hour. he
experienced an unusually violent rigor
The sh1vering lasted for nearly an hour,
and was accompanied with nauseau and
vomiting. The temperature of his body
rose to 39' Centigrade. After a period of
II hours the symptoms began to abate, the
temperature Of the body declined, and on
the following day resumed its normal de-
gree. The heaviness of the limbs and the
feeling of lasitude, however, continued
for some days, during which time the
point on his arm where the injection was
made continued to be painful and remain
red. The experiment thus far conducted
showed that the lowest limit of effective
strength of the fluid in healthy human
body is one-hundredth of a cubic centimet-
er. When this amount is applied to a
healthy human subject it produces little or
no reaction. The same result follows
when the fluid of the strength is applied
to diseased person who is suffering from
other than the tuberculosis affections, but
In persons affected with tuberculosis the
same quantity produces a strong, general
and local reaction. The general reaction
consists of an attack of fever, which usual
ly begins with shivering; the temperature
of the body rises to over 80, and, In some
instances, even to Il degrees centigrade.
At the same time pains in the limbs are
noticeable. The patient coughs, expert
ences much lrrltableneSs and nausea. In
some cases there is noticed slight icteric
Gaundice like colorIng, on exanima re-
sembliLg measles, on the neck. The
symptoms just described begin to manifest
themselves four or five hours after the in
lection of the curative substance. The
patient is much affected by the attack in
duced by the fluid and, after it is over,
FEELS COMPARATIVELY WE'LL.
even better in fact, than before the mice
ton. The second, or local action produc
ed by the injection of the fluid in patient
suffering from tuberculosis eau best be
observed in persons whose suberculous at
fections are visible, us for instance, in the
case of persons suffering from lupus. The
changes which ensue in these cases show.
ed IN a surprising manner this specifically
Within a few hours after an injection OF
the fluid has been made under the skin Of
the back, the lupus sores begin to swell
and redden. During the fever which the
patient experiences as already described
the swelling and reddening of the sores in
crease until finally the lupus tissue as
sumes, in places, dark brown tint and 8
necrotic condition After the subsistence
of the fever the swelling of the lupus sores
gradually decreases and possibly disappears
within two or three days Meanwhile
however, the lupus centers have become
covered with an incrustation, formed by
exhuding serum which dries up as il
reaches the air. These incrusations form
into scales which fall off after two or three
weeks.
In some instances the effect just lescrib
ed is produced after single incision Of
the curative matter, when a red sea-
is left The changes are absolutely limit
ed in extent to such portions of the skin as
are clearly recognized as lukus. In tuber
colosis of the lympathic glands, bone ar,
ticulations, etc, the local reactions are
less striking, but are still clearly percep,
tible to the eye and touch. In these cases
there is swelling of the parts affected and
more pain than the lupus patient suffer
while In the parts adjacent to the diseased
centers the surface also becomes red. The
reaction produced In the internal organs
especially the lungs, when the curative
substance is injected, is not, of course
open to observation apart from the in.
creased expectoration and cough. In all
the experiments after the first injection
all # any the tuberculous process exists in
the bOdV the aDDearancA already dpScrih