The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-03-20


Hawaiian House OF Mobiles, who is
in Germany:
His Exceilency Chas. n. Spencer,
Ii. II. Ms Minister of Interior,
Honolulu.
SIR:-Since the publication of
Professor Koch's discovery a great
deal has been said and written for
and against it, and no doubt many
reports about it have found their
way to the Hawaiian Islands. Feeling
certain that it will be of great inter
est to Hawaii, | have made it my
business to obtain from leading ply
sicians some reliable information re-
garding it, and | herewith beg to
submit TO Your EXcellency what |
have been able to learn. My in
formants all agree, that theoretically
and practically it is great step
forward in the knowledge Of infec-
tious diseases and their possible cure
by introducing organic chemical
compounds, which are in some way
connected with the different chemi-
cal and biological changes set up in
living body by such diseases. The
leading principle of Koch's discovery
is that glycerine extract of cultures
of tubercle bacillus has the power Of
destroying tubercuIous tissue, espe-
cially such of old standing. 1t re-
quires but extremely minute quanti-
ties of the extract to set up this
reaction where old tubercular tissue
is present, is does, however, not set
up this local reaction IN any other
tissue but tuberculous.
introduced in large quantities into
a healthy body, or into body suffer
ing from other diseases than tuber-
culosis, it likewise produces fever
ish reaction, but this fever is simply
due to the general action of the
poison on the system, and not, like
in tuberculosis proper, to absorption
of tissue mortified by the specific
action OF the remedy. This may ac-
count for the reports of reaction in
other diseases than tuberculosis,
more especially in leprosy.
Leprosy being closely akin tc
tuberculosis, it was quite natural tC
try Koch's remedy on leprous pa.
tients. Thus far all reports as to {
successful reaction setting in can bt
explained in the above way. Ever
in those cases where such feverish re,
action has set in the curative effects
have been very slight, if any, and nc
greater than a spontaneous feverisl
attack in lcprosy will sometimes
bring about. In large number Of
cases of leprosy not even feverish
reaction has followed the application
of Koch's remedy, which positively
shows that it has no | cal specific in.
huence on this disease.
All my lnformants agree that
Koch's remedy does not even benefit
all cases of tuberculosis; in fact
there are cases which are decidedly
aggravated by its application. Il
will take months and years of patient
study and observation to find out the
exact limits of its beneficial influence
and the correct indications for it;
use.
For comparison, in other infect
ious diseases, the microbes of whicl
Are known and can be cultivated out
side of the human body, will have tt
be treated by reagents prepared in &
similar manner, as Koch's tubercl(
lymph. Amongst these diseases i
will, of course, be most natural tt
turn renewed attention to leprosy
from this point of view; but the diff
ficuties which have beset thi'
work are the same which hav,
bafiied science so far regarding
leprosy, viz, that it has hitherto
been found impossible to cultivate
the bacillus of leprosy, as pure ouI
ture. Time and continued study
may ultimately achieve this desired
object, and more especially so sine
the newly formed committee of TIL
British National Leprosy Fund ar
sure to set the best men, in the yer,
best of laboratories, at this task, wher
they can carry on their work quietl,
and unbiased by any undue pressure
There seems no question that evel
the full solution of the tubercle pro
blem would have been achieved il
a more satisfactory way, if it ha'
not emerged rather too soon from til
hand of its great discoverer.
The burst of excitement which i'm
mediately followed the publication c
the discovery was too intense tina
it should not have been followed b
a certain amount of disappointment
still the importance Of the discover
will never be lost and the outlook
has opened into the working of para
sites IN the body will remain might
impetus TO scientists TO work in thi
direction. The nature of such
work forbids undue haste. AS ther
are plenty of cases of leprosy i
Europe and America, and as work i
the above direction is being carrie
on extensively in many centres
medical science, there appears to b
reasonable hope that our sufferin
Hawaiian countrymen will sooner {
later be benefited by the results {
such work. For the present, how
ever, it must not be forgotten tn;
Koch's lymph is not intended fC
leprosY.
/ shall at any time be glad to