The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-11-15
PROF. KOCH'S CURE
For Consumptives is Drawing
mvalids to Berlin.
EXPERIMENTING UPON HIMSELF.
Very Peculiar Sensations Auxiliary dag.
nos1s-JamesOn's Account of the Cannibal-
istic Feast-Bonny's Official Report.

BERLIN, Nov. 14.-Prof. Koch publishes
an article of the Drutsche Mediniziche
Wochenschrtft on the cure of tuberculosis.
Prof. Koch says as yet he is unprepared to
indicate the source from which the cura.
i've matter is derived, and the method of
preparation for the reason that expert
mental work is still in progress. He states
mat the curative lymph itself can be
ootalned from Dr.. Libbertz, address No.
-, Lueneburger StraSse, Berlin. The
iympn is described as consisting of
oroWnlsh transparent liquid so prepared
as TO be proof against deterioration. When
ulluted with water for use the matter is
liable to decay. 1t is necessary therefore
mat the attenuations be perfectly sterilized
by heat and preserved in wadding covering
or prepared with a solution of phenol, 80
per centage strong. When taken into the
stomach the curative matter proves to have
no effect, but must be applied sub-cutane-
ously by means of valveless syringe,
Whlch must be rlnsed with absolute alcohol
and kept in perfectly aseptic condition.
TWenty-h live hundredths OF a cuplc cent?
meter intensely affected healthy man who
was subjected TO an experiment., while two
cubic centimeters applied to a guinea pig
had little effect Prof. Koch injected
twenty-five hundredths of cubic cent?
meter under his own arm and within few
hours experienced q contraction of the
limbs and marked feeling of lassitude
AT the same time he felt desire TO cough.
together with difficulty of breathing. These
symptoms increasedrapidlyan in five hours
he experienced an unusually violent rigor
accompanied with nauseau and the temper
allure Of his body rose rapidly. After
twelve hours the symptoms began to abate,
and the next day his body resumed its nor
nal degree Heaviness of the limbs and a
languld feeling continued for several days,
however. The same results follows when
the fluid is applied to diseased
persons suffering from other than tuber-
ulosls Alterations but, in persons affected
with tuberculosis the same quantity pro-
duces a strong, great and local reaction.
The reaction can best be observed on those
whose affiiction is visible, as, for instance
persons suffering with lupus. Within
few hours after the injection, lupun sores
begin to swell and finally assume dark
brown tint. After the fever subsidies the
swelling decreases and generally disap-
pears, scabs of the matter falling off later.
Portions of the skin not clearly recognized
as lupus are not affected. 1t is asserted
with confidence that the remedy may be
considered an indescribable auxiliary dag
nosis and doubtful cases of insipient con
sumption can positively be diagnosed by
its use.
Prof. Koch expresses the belief that his
remedy will certainly prove cure for in
cepient consumption. Whether, however
the cure will be final and definite is not
clearly proven and further experiments
Will be necessary to determine. The remedy
can only influence living tuberculos tissue
1t has no effect whatever upon dead
tissue, and produces no effect upon tissues
which already have been killed by the ap-
pllcat1on OF remedy. 1t is quite possible
That such dead tissue may still contain
living tuberculis bacille which NAV
again invade adjacent living tissues.
1t follows therefore that Etuberculis It's
sue that is still living must be made first
to decay. When this had been accom-
pllShed every effort must be made 10 re-
move the dead matter by surgery. Where
this is impossible and secretion can only
slowly proceed the living tissue must be
protected by the continued application of
The remedy. The remedy is applied in
cumulative doses. A small quantity at
first suffices to produce strong reaction
but IS each succeeding injection causes tn e
death OF certain quantity of tissue capable
OF reaction, increased doses are necessary
until the patient experiences as little re-
action as in tuberculosis.
Patients who have been treated in the
early stages of phythisis have all been
freed from morbid symptoms within from
four to six weeks, when they may be re-
garded as healed. Consumptives with large
cavities in their lungs will probably exper1-
ence benefit from the new remedy only in
cases. In all cases Prof. Koch
emphasizes the necessity of early treat |
ment. Only in incipient stages of the dis
ease, he declares, can the remedy fully de-
velop its efficacy. He deprecates the me,
chanical and indiscrlminate application of
the remedy, holding that it is preferable
that the treatment should be applied in
suitable institutions where careful OBJ
is possible.