Morning journal and courier., 1891-01-16
DIR. KOCH,s LYMPH.

DIR. KOCH'S LYMPH.
The Secret of Its Composition Dis
closed-What the Inventor Says o
ITS Curative Properties-His Faitl
in 1t INSTRUMENTATION OF H
Discovery.
BERLIN, Jan. 15.-Professor Koch's re
port, issued to-day, as to the ingredient
composing his lymph, says the remed
consists of glycerine extract derived from
the pure cultivation of the tubercle bacilli
Professor Koch says:
"Since publishing, two months ago, tn
results of my experiments with the new
remedy for tuberculosis, many physician
who received the preparation have beer
enabled to become acquainted with it
properties through their own experiments
So far as have been able to review thu
statements published and the communica
tons received by letter my indications
have been fully and completely confirmed
The general consensus of opinion is that
the remedy has specific effect upon tn.
bercular tissues, and is, therefore, appli-
cable as very delicate and sure reagent
for discovering latent and diagnosing
doubtful tuberculous processes.
'Before going into the remedy itself,
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 healthy guinea-pig be in
oculated with the pure cultivation of Ger
man kultur of tubercle bacilli, the wound
caused by the incubation mostly closes
over with sticky matter and appears, in
its early days, to heal Only after ten to
fourteen days hard nodule presents it.
self, which, soon breaking, forms an ul-
cerating sore, which continues until the
animal dies.
'Quite different condition of things
occurs when a guinea pig, already suffer
ing from tuberculosis, is inoculated. An
animal successfully inoculated from four
to six weeks before is best adapted for this
purpose. In such an animal the small in
dentation assumes the same sticky cover
ing at the beginning, but Nc nodule forms.
On the contrary, on the day following OF
place where the lymph is injected shows a
strange change. 1t becomes hard and as
sumes darker coloring, which is not con-
fined to the incubation spot, but spreads
to the neighboring parts until it attains q
diameter of from .05 to 1 centimetre In a
few days it becomes more and more mani
fest that the skin thus charged is necrotic,
finally falling off, leaving a fiat liberation,
which usually heals rapidly and perma-
nently without any cutting into the ada
cent Emphatic glands. Thus the injected
supercular bacilli affect quite differently
the skin of a healthy guinea pig from one
affected with tuberculosis.
''This effect is not exclusively produced
with living tubercular bacilli, but is also
observed with the dead bacilli, the result
haino no xUhafhar !,
experiments at the outset, the bacilli are
killed bya somewhat prolonged application
of low temperature or boiling heat, or by
means of certain chemicals This peculiar
fact followed up in all directions, and
this further result was obtained-that
killed pure civilizations of tubercular ba-
cilli, after rinsing in water, might be in
jected in great quantities under healthy
guinea pigs skin without any effect occur
ring beyond local suppuration."
Professor Koch here interpolates a note
that such injections belong to the simplest
and surest means of producing suppura-
ton free from living bacteria. He adds:
"Tuberculous guinea pigs, on the other
hand, are killed by the injection of very
small quantities of such diluted cultiva-
tons. In fact, within six to forty eight
hours, according to the strength of the
dose, an injection which is not sufficient
to produce the death of the animal may
cause extended necrosis to the skin in the
vicinity of the place of injection. If the
dilution is still further diluted until it is
scarcely visibly clouded, the animals inoc-
ulated remain alive and q noticeable i'm
provement in their condition soon inter
venes. If the injections are continued at
intervals of from one to two days, the ul-
cerating inoculating wound becomes small
er, and finally scars over, which otherwise
it never does; the size of the swollen
Emphatic glands is reduced, the body be-
comes nourished, and the morbid process
ceases, unless it has gone too far, in which
case the animal perishes from exhaustion
"The discovery demanded time and toll,
until finally succeeded with the aid of
40 to SO per cent. solution of glycerine in
obtaining an effective substance from the
tubercular bacilli With the fluid SO OBJ
tanned made further experiments on ami
mails and finally ON human beings. These
fluids were given to other physicians to
enable them to repeat the experiments
The remedy which is used in the new treat
ment consists of glycerine extract; de-
rived from the pure cultivation of tubercle
bacilli. Into the simple extract there nat
urally passes from the tubercular bacilli,
besides the effective substance, all the
other matter soluble in so per cent gly-
ce1ine. Consequently, it contains a Ger
tain quantity of mineral salts, coloring
substances and other unknown extractive
matter. Some of these substances can be
removed from it tolerably easily. The
effective substance is insoluble in absolute
alcohol. It can be precipitated by it,
though not indeed in pure condition, but
still combined with the other extractive
matter. 1t is likewise insoluble in alcohol
The coloring matter may also be removed
rendering it possible to obtain from the
extract colorless dry substance contain
ing the effective principle in much more
concentrated form than the original gly,
cerine solutions. For application in practice
this publication of the glycerine extract
offers no advantage because the substances
SO eliminated are unessential for the hui
man organism. The process of purifica
ton would make the cost of the remed,
unnecessarily high.
TREATED SECOND TIME.
PROVIDENCE, R. l., Jan. 15.-Seelder
berg, the patient at the Rhode Island hos
pital, whose skin was injected a half MILL
gramme Of Koch's lymph on Wedne lay
was treated second time this morning
The first injection produced no visible eff
feet. He appeared to be in good spirit
and felt first rate twenty-four hours afte
the first injection. Evidently the dos
was not powerful enough to answer tn
purpose The second time DR.. Swarts ad
ministered nearly one milligramme.
THE EuECTUnNS nuUI