The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-04-30
DOCTORS IN SESSION.
The Montana State Medical Society
Holds Its Annual Meeting at
the City Hall.
Business Transacted and Several
Interesting Essays on Medical
Topics Road.
4 Good Attendauce-A Bottle Of DR..
Koch's Lymph Exhibited to the
Physicians.

The Montana State Medical society met
yesterday in the city hall for their annual
session. The physicians present were:
Doctors Atchison, Treaoy, Barbour, Bull
lard, Carmichael, Chambliss, Dogge, Nc
Donald, Steele. Mckay, Morris, Read.
Sigh, Sckulin, of Helena; Doctors Leavitt,
Gillespie, Gum, Hammond, Holmes, Muir
ray, of Butte; DR.. King, of Marysville, DR..
Owings, of Deer Lodge; DIR. Parsons, of
Missoula.
After the meeting had been called to
order at moor by President Hammond a
recess was taken until three O'Clock. At
that hour there was a good attendance.
The role was called and the minutes were
read. There was a disposition on the part
OF a few physicians to bar the reporters
from the session because of the alleged mis-
representation in newspaper reports of the
last session. 1t was finally resolved to
allow reporters at the session providing the
president or secretary examined the copy.
Az neither of these gentlemen found time
TO edit the papers and attend to their duties
beside, the rule was not rigidly enforced.
Drs. Billiard, Owiags and King we're
OAOoVkA q OokASA I'll OlCuCASl6l9 w OK
anime several applications for member
ship that had been sent to the
secretary. The resignation of DR.. E. j.
Leonard, of Butte, was presented on
condition that his initiation fee of IS
be returned. Tho doctor wrote that he had
no desire to embarrsss discussions of the
society and would therefore withdraw from
membership. The resignation was accepted.
Several interesting letters we're read. DR..
Leavitt, of Butte, who does not look like a
humorlst, suggested that these communion
tions be referred to the funny reporters
OF the morning papers Of Helena.
DR.. King, of Marysville. reported an in
teresting case. The patient, John Haggin-
SON, a Norwegian miner of Marysville, was
troubled a few years ago with an interior
tumor-like swelling under the left lower
rib. An inciSion was made by DR.. Steele
difficulty was not removed, though moi
sions have since been made. He was brought
before the meeting yesterday and was ex-
amined by the physicians. There we're
different opinions as to the nature of the
disease. An interesting discussion which
in by Doctors King, Steele, Mcdonald, At
Gibson, Billiard and Persons.
An exceedingly interesting essay on
medical Schools and Bacteriology' was
read by DR.. schulin of Helena. 1t was
clearly, and strongly, written, and showed
Some centuries ago the physicians looked
at the books Of Hippocrates and Galen as
the divine look at the Bible. They did not
observe and think independently but with
a few exceptions. This changed in the last
century, but first the physicians meditated
theories instead of locking for facts, and
on their theories they founded some schools.
The only surviving one of these ia Hahns-
mann's school of homeopathy, an anachron-
ism indeed, bat at the same time by its
great vitality = proof that it contains a
ity from the terrible overdoses of medicine
which used to be given in his days.
But the great modern development of the
medical science was caused not by any
medical school, but by the progress in all
the branches of the natural sciences, e.
and the discoveries made in chemistry.
Under the supervision of the great German
naturalist Johannes Mueller, a new era of
cooperative scientific medical work began,
based on observation and the principle to
educate the young physicians to obs rvers
ers. Johannes Mueller and his disciples,
Virchow. Dubois Raymond, Koelliker,
Helmholtz and many others founded some
perfectly new branches of the medical
science and put the latter on a really
scientific basis, without any theory or sys-
DDS of investigation and raising their dis
uiples to independent observers and think
ers. In this meaning the modern physi-
clans call themselves members of the regu-
lar school of medicine or regular ply
sicians.
One of the most important branches
afounded this way is bacteriology. Already
THE ancient believed that disease WAS caused
BY something entering in to the blood, that
they called materia peccans. But only in
the second half of this century its true ma
ture was discover ed in the bacteria. There
was also found chemistry of the bacteria
and through this a bacteriotherapy. While
Jenner's vaccination against smallpox and
Pasteur's incubation against rabies were
only means to prevent disease, the injection
of Koch's lymph is made to cure disease.
Tuberculosis is no disease which can be
the injection of Koch's lymph has decidedly
a curative effect in many cases. Koch's
lymph is really no lymph, but q kind OF
Auid extract made with glyoerine from the
soil where some pure cultures of bacilli of
tuberculosis were raised. The nature of
the soil ia still koch's secret, but he says
the lymph contains all the products Of
metabolism of the bacilli, separated from
these by filtration.
DR.. Schulin received some time ago a bot
tie OF koch's lymph complimentary from a
friend OF his in Berlin, DR.. George Dedolph,
a military surgeon of high rank in the
Prussian army, and an intimate friend of
Koch. A brother of DR.. Dedolph is a prom
inent physician in st. Paul, Mimi, and he
had already quite a good deal of experience
with the lymph. He ia far from recon-
y mending it in every case, but saw q decided
improvement caused by 1t in a number of
cases. There is no danger in trying it, if
only the dose given is small enough, the
first time not over 1-120 of a grain. 1t also
requires no special study or skill which
could be acquired only in Berlin, but every
physician can do it who understands his
business sufficiently to select the cases
which are fit for it.
The lymph does not kill the bacilli, but
it raises an inflammation around the tuber-
cles which become neorotic and when
sloughing way carry the baoilli along.
This can be dom only with tubercles situa-
ted on a surface and not when they are in
side of the body, in the liver, or SO on.
This limits the use of the lymph to a great
extent, but the outlook is nevertheless good
for the future, AZ the lymph when used
early enough will prevent the entering of
bocilli into the body.
The lecture was listened to with close ut
tention and was greatly appreciated by the
physicians. The doctors essay was warm
ly applauded and he received n vote of
thanks from the society. He exhibited a
small vial of tuberculine or lymph. and the
instruments used in the treatment. Tho
fluid ID OF a bright brown color and flows
easily. Ii WAS examined with much inter
est by the phygioians.