The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-12-01
DIR. KoUH,s PROGRESS.

The public are becoming FESTIVE under DR..
koch'S persistent refusal to tell the secret
Of his remedy for consumption. The honest
physician has no Secre from his brethren
OF the profession. 1t is the quack who makes
a mystery of his methods. Hence people
are beginning to grid at the Berlin doctor
and 20 insinuaIe that his alleged discovery
will not bear the test of Investigation. This
is probably an incorrect view 10 take of the
matter. and view which is unjust TO ono
who has always been straightforward and
above board, and who has certainly rendered
conspicuous service to the science of heal
ing.
In the brief statement with which DIR.
Koch accompanied his announcement that
he had probably discovered a cure for
tuberculosis in the early stage he disclosed
enough to satisfy anyone that his remedy
consisted IN the introduction into the body
ola substance which destroyed the tubercular
bacilli AMI caused the system to throw off
the diseased tissues in which alone they
could propagate. He did not say positively
what this substance was, but he ia enough
to lead his reader to conjecture it contained
form of bacterial life which was fatal to
the particular insect which is. known us the
bacillus OF tuberculosis. There he stopped.
What were the characteristics of the new
bacillus which was to kill the old bacillus,
where it was to be found. how it was to get
| at It's enemy, and by what means it detached
the diseased tissues from the healthy tissues
he did not choose to explain. For this reli-
| cence 1t is easy to conceive reason.
1t is plain that Il will take time TO test the
nature of DR.. Koeh's discovery. A tuber-
| cular patient cannot be cured IN day or a
week or a month. Several months must
elapse before the cure can be pronounced to
be complete. without danger of relapse.
The German doctor may naturally have felt
that 1t would be time enough to unboSom
himself when he had thoroughly demon
strated in the Berlin hospitals the efficacy
of his remedy. He may have been unwll-
| ing to set the whole world experimenting
| with his lymph while it was still in the ex-
detrimental stage. If he had told all he knew
| doctors all ever the world would have been
! prescribing doses OF lymph, druggists would
| have been making it according to their
| lights, consumptiye patients far beyond the
| possibility OF recovery would have been
| pinning their faith to it, the result might
| have been the same as that which befell
| DIR. Brown-Sequard's valuable discovery of
the elixir of life. More cOnsumptives
| would have died than lived and every body
IL. =
| fraud.
As the matter stands, the new remedy is
! having fair and thorough trial. The Ger
| man Government proposes to manufacture
the lymph itself. so as to insure its purity.
| Several hospital wards have been placed at
| DIR. koch'S disposal, to test it upon patients
in various stages of tuberculosis. Money is
| pouring in upon the doctor without stint. If
| his experiments fail, 1t will not be for want
| of means. If people will have patience for
| little while, they will know everything
| which it concerns them to know. Either
| the new remedy will fail, in which case
| they will be spared the disappointment of
| sanguine hopes; or it will succeed, in which
| case the lymph viii be at the disposal of
! every one. at a moderate price, with full di-
| rectinns for its use.
This is the first occasion, to the best of
| our recollection, on which Government has
assumed the duty of dealing with a preva-
| lent disease. except by way of quarantine.
| The new departure is one upon which
| Germany may be congratulated. If DIR.
| Koch succeeds. his success Will be the
| GROWING glory of the reign of William Ii.
| In comparison with the Stoppage OF the
| ravages of consumption throughout the
world, conquests are trivial triumphs. and
extensions of territory are minor matters.
| The loss of life through the various forms of
| tuberculosis in the civilized countries Of the
world is as large as would be caused by
| standing war. If it can be saved, the gain
20 humanity and progress will be as large as
| the Peace Society would accomplish if it
succeeded i'll enforcing its code upon the ma
| +inus