New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-15

the morbid process is really and absolutely
ended.
Professor Koch expresses the belief that his
remedy will certainly prove cure for incipient
phthisis Whether, however, the cure will be
final and definite has not he says, been clearly
proved. Further experiments and continued use
OF the remedy will be necessary to determine this
! question.
The curative properties Of the new remedy,
Professor Koch declares, are Of still greater I'M
portance for diagnosis. What the fluid kills is
not the tubercular bacillus. but the tubercular
tissue. This fact indicates the well-defined limits
which the efficacy of the remedy will be able TO
reach. In other words. it can only influence
living tuberculous tissue IL has no effect what
ever upon dead tissue such as dccayed Gaseous
| matter, e1ecrotic bones and the like. More than
this. it produces no effect upon tissues which
have already been killed by the application of
the remedy. Il is quite possible that such dead
tissue may still contain living tuberculous bacill
These may then be either expelled with
the necrotic tissue, or 1t may be
that, under special circumstances, they
may again invade adjacent living tissues
1t follows, therefore, that tuberculous tissue
that is still living must first be made to decay
When this has been accomplished, every effort
must be made to remove the dead matter oy
surgery. In cases where this method is impos-
sible and secretion only slowly proceed by the
self-help of The organism threatened the living
tissue must at the same time be protected by
continual applications of the remedy, so as to
guard against the remmigration Of the parasites.
The fact that the remedy causes decay only OF
tubcrculolls tissues affecting exclusively living
tissues explains why the curative fluid may be
applied i'm rapidly increased doses.
After the patient has been under treatment 1or
period of three weeks dose of the fluid of five
hundred times the strength of the original dose
can be applied, for at the beginning, when large
quantity of living tuberculous tissue exists
small quantity Of the remedy suflices to produce
| a strong reaction but each succeeding In
lection causes the disappearance OF certain
quantjty of tissue capable OF reactlon,
| It naturally follows, therefore, that increased
doses are necessary to obtain the same degree OF
| reaction As soon as patients treated WIN III
creased doses experience as lltte reaction as hoi
tuberculous people, IL may oe assuieu shas daj az
tubercuous tissue open to reaction is ueai;
| Whether this conclusion Is correct Time VIII
| show For the present, however, Professor hoch
| iSconvncei that this conclusion is a souhu one.
In all cases of lupus far treated the amount
| of fluid injected has been in the nrSt instance,
one c-hundredth part OF cubic eehlime.fe. lii,c
has then been allowed for the reaction 10 tahe .'
| full course After period OF from one 10 S"o
weeks n second injection OF the same amount mas
| been made. This treatment has continued un,ii
the reaction grew weaker ana nnaily ceaseu. er dr
| two cases of lupus of the face, the sores, aiter
three or four injections, became Scared and pre-
| sented a smooth surface. Each one of these cases
| by other methods without beneiiclll result
Persons suffering with tuberculosis oil the jym,
phatc glands, bones or joints have Deen treateu
| with precisely the same success lneIe mas peun sa
rapid healing in the milder cases and cases oil re-
| cent DEVELOPMENT of the disease, While IN seveTef
cases the Improvement, while slower, has been
| steady.
Patients with pronounced tuberculosis OF
| the lungs have proved far more sus-
| ceptibe To the remedy than those SUI
! fering. with surgical tnbercuar affections
| manifested a strong reaction on greatly reuuceu
doses. With such patients, Therefore, a BEGINNING
PARTS of cubic ccntinntre oi even with one-one-
ihousandth part. From this small incipient dose
one advance to such quantities as the patient
can easily bear. In the experiments that have
been conducted consumptives have accordingly first
received sub-cutaneOus injection OF one-one-
| thousandth part of cubic centimetre Then, when
| its temperature increased, the same dose was APP
| piled daily until no further reaction occurred.
| Thercupon the dose was doubled two
| ore -thousandth parts of cubic cent?
metre being injected regularly until again
| no reaction occurred. This method was
continued with almost always an increase OF one
| one thousandth part of a cubic centmetre, or at
hundNth part, and so on upward. In this way
| the patient would be brought TO take
| very high doses, almost without fever
| and almost imperccptibly TO himself.
Consumptive patients who are still fairly strong
| reach increased doses much more quickly and
| favorable results follow with corresponding ra-
| pdty As q general rule the coughing and en-
pcctoration increased somewhat after the first
| injection Then they become gradually less and.
| in the most favorable cases will ultimately
wholly disappear
| IT, the cases experimental upon under the di
recton of Professor Koch the expectations grad
| uallv lost their purulent property and assumed
n m nf "
pelled usually decreases only when the eXpectOra
! tiOns begin to assume a mucous appearance. The
| bacilli then disappear entirely for time but
occasions again appear until expectora:ion to-
| tally ceases. At the same time the night sweats
cease, the patients begin to look better and to
| increase in weight. Patients who have been
| treated in the early stages Of phthiss have all
| been freed from morbid symptoms within from
four to six weeks when they may be regarded as
healed.
COnsumptives with large cavities in their lungs
| will probably only experience benefit from the
new remedy in exceptional cases, though most
cases show temporary improvement.
Professor Koch deprecates the mechanical and
indiscriminate application of the remedy. He
| holds that it would be preferable that the treat
ment should be applied in suitable institutions
| where careful observation would be possible.
Professor Koch says that sufficient experience
has not yet been collected regarding tuberculosis
| Of the brain and the larynX and military tubcr-
| culosis 10 Justify the expression Of any opinion
| in regard to the efficacy of the remedy
In all eases Professor Koch emphasizes the
| necessity of eory treatment. Only In incpicnt
stages Of disease he declares can the remedy
| fully develop its efficacy.
Frankfort, Nov. 14.-Onc Of the persons who
| have benefited from Professor Koch's treatment
was a sufferer from bronchial tuberculosis The
| patient had swelling in one knee. which had
| for long time been very painful The doctors
who watched the case assert that the reactive
effect following the injection of the lymph proved
that tubercular process existed in the knee which
| has since been free from disease.
Vienna, Nov. 14.-The Medical Society of
Vienna has elected Professor Koch an honorary
member.