St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-16
LYMPH AND ITS WORK
Prof. Koch Describes the Full
Details of His Wonderful
Panacea.
The Remedy Has a Specific
Effect Upon Tubercular
Tissues.
Despite Cavil, Many Patients
Now Show Pronounced
Improvement.
Experimental Data Regarding
It's Application, With
Results.

published to-day describing the COM
position OF the lymph is comparatively
brief. 1t says the lymph consists OF
glvcerine extract derived from the pure
cultivation of the tubercle bacilli. Prof..
Koch says: "Since publishing, TWO
months ago, the results of my expert
ments with the new remedy for tuber-
cuosis, many physicians who received
the preparation have been enabled to
become acquainted with its properties
through their own experiments. so tar
as have been able to review the state
ments published and the communica-
tions received by letter, my indications
have been fully and completely con-
iirmed. The general consensus Of opin-
ion is that the remedy has a specific
effect upon tnbercular tissues. and is,
therefore, applicable as very delicate
and sure reagent for discovering latent
and diagnosing doubtful tuberculosis
processes. Regarding the curative eff
fects of the remedy, most reports agree
that, despite the comparatively short
duration of It's application, many pa
tients have shown more or less pro-
nounced improvement. 1t has been
affirmed that not in few cases even
cure has been established. Standing
quite by itself is the assertion that the
remedy may not only be dangerous III
eases which have advanced too far-a
fact which may forthwith be conceded
but also that it actually promotes
The TubercuIOus Process.
beino therefore injurious. During the
past six weeks, | myself have had
opportunity TO bring together further
experiences touching the curative eff
fects and diagnostic application of the
remedy In the case of about $50 suffer
ers from tuberculosis of the most varied
types in this city and in the MOabit
hospital. | can only say that every
thing / have latterly seen accOrds with
my previous obserN atoms. There has
been nothing to notify in what | before
reported. AS long as il was only ques-
ton of proving the accuracy of my in
dicatiOnS, it was needless for any one to
know what the remedy contained or
whence it was derived. On the con
trary. subsequent testing wonld neces-
sarlly be more unbiased, the less people
knew of the remedy itself Now after
sufficient confrmatory testing, the inn
portan(e OF the remedy is proved, my
next task is to extend my study of the
remedy beyond the field where it has
hitherto been applied and if possible
to apply the principle underlying the
discovery to other diseases. This task
naturally demands full knowledge of
the remedy. |, therefore, consider that
the time has arrived when the requisite
indications in this direction shall be
made. This is done in what follows.
pof, intn
deem it necessary, for the better under-
standing of its mode of operation, to
state briefly the way by which | arrived
at the discovery. If a
Healthy Guinea PIG
be inoculated with the pure cultivation
OF German kultur Of tubercle bacilli,
the wound caused by the incubation
mostly closes over with Il sticky matter
and appears, in its carly days, to heal.
Only after ten to fourteen days q hard
nodnle presents itself, which, soon
breaking, forms an ulcerating
sore, which continues until the
animal dies. Quite differ
ent condition of things occurs when a
Guinea pig already suffering from
tuberculosis is inOcuated. An animal
successfully inoculated from four to six
weeks before is best adapted for this
purpose. In such an animal. the small
indentatiOn assumes the same sticky
covering at the beginning, but no
nOdule forms. On the contrary, on the
day following or the second day after
the incubation. the place where the
lymph is injected shows strange
change 1t becomes hard and assumes
darker cOloring, which is not con-
fined to the incubation spot. butspreads
to the neighboring parts until 1t attalnS
diameter of from .05 to l centimetre
In a few days 1t becomes more and more
manifest that the skin thus changed is
necrotc, finally falling Off, leaving q
fat liberation, which usually heals
rapidly and permanently without any
cutting into the adjacent lynphatiC
glands. Thus the injected tuberculal
bacilli quite differently affect the skin
of healthy guinea pig from one af
fected with tuberculosis. This effect is
not exclusively produced with living
tubercular bacilli, but is also observed
with the dead bacilli the result being
the same whether as | discovered by
experiments at the outset, the bacill
are killed by a somewhat prolonged aD
plication of a low temperature or boil
ing heat or by means of certain chemi
Gals. This peculiar fact followed w
in all directions. and this further result
was Obtained-that killed pure cutiva
tons of tubercular bacilli, after rinsins
in water, might be injected in grea
quantities under healthy guinea pigs
without anything occurring beyond
local SuppuratiOn."
Prof. Koch here interpOlates a not,
that such injections belong to thu
simplest and sureSt means of producing
6uppuratiOn free from living bacteria.
Experimental Data.
TuberculOus guinea pigs, on the othe
hand, are killed bv the injection of yer,
small quantities or such diluted cultiva
tons. In fact. within six to forty-eigh
hours, according to the strength of tn
dose, an injection which is not suf1lclen
to produce the death Of the animal ma
cause extended necrosis to the skin il
the vicinity of the place of Injection
If the dilution is still further diluted
until it is scarcely viSibIy clouded, TIL
animals inOculated remain alive and
noticeable improvement in their cOnd
ton soon superveneS. If the injeC
tions are continued at intervals Q
from one to two days, the ulcerating in
ocuation wound becomes smaller an
finally scars over, which otherwise
never does; the size of the swolle
Emphatic glands is reduced, the bod
becomes D6IUGr 0OuTlSUeu, dllu IIl6 IUOl
bid process ceases, unless it has gon
too far, in which case the animal PEI
ishes from exhaustion. By this mean
the basis of a curative process agains
tuberculosis was established. Agains
the practical application of such dit
tons of dead tubercle bacilli there prl
scented the fact that the tubercIe bacil
are not absorbed at the inoculatio
points, nor do they disappear in anothe
way, but for long time remain I'll
changed and engender greater {
smaller suppurative foci. Anythin.
therefore, intended to exercise hea
ing effect on the tubercuIous proce.
must be soluble substance whic
would be lixiviated to certain extel
by the
Fluids of the Body
floating around the tubercle bacilli an
be transferred in fairly rapid mann,
to the juices of the body, while the su
stance producing Suppuration appa
emily remains behind in the tubercul