The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-02-01

The German Scientists Discovery
Even More Valuable Than Jen-
ner's or Listers.
| Consumption Has Been Successfully At.
tackled, with Strong Probability that
1t VIII, BE Conquered.
Snecial Correspondence Of THE INDEpEsDEsr.1
LONDON, Jan. l6.-Dr. A. Joseph Meuer
of Denver, sails for home next week from
LIVERPOOL. He takes with him trained
nurses and assistants engaged in Berlin fol
the Colorado sanitarium which he is going
to establish. The brilliant young Ameri
can physician was received with the great
cst cordiality by DR.. Koch in Berlin aid
was afforded special facilities by the now
famous scientist for observation and study
in his laboratory. In the following article,
written for tho American correspondence
bureau of London and Berlin, DR.. Meuer
describes his most interesting and valuable
experience while with Prof. Koch, during
which time, it may be added, he contribut-
ed all the kilograms on the Koch discoveries
published in the London Times.
only since the Catholic church was
compelled in the middle ages to give up the
privilege of healing the evils the flesh is
heir to-, has real and systematic progress
been made in that art. In the earlier days
it always confined itself to the curing Of
existing diseases and did not attempt to
prevent them. Nor did the diagnosis of
diseases then form part of tho study of the
disciples Of Esculapius. Our age only can
with Justice boast of having studied the
art of preventing the outbreak of diseases
and their spreading, as we'll as their true
nature by discovering their causes. Gen
eral attention is now paid to
pure drinking water, baths and the
chemical examination of our daily food.
But foremost stand the scientific measures
of prevention, inaugurated by DR.. Jennel' 8
great discovery of vaccination for the sup
preston OF smallpox, and DIR. Listers an
tiseptic treatment of wounds. Hundreds
of thousands of valuable lives have already
been saved by the discoveries of these great
scient fists, who. like DR.. Koch, had great
many prejudices to overcome and battles
to fight, before their great merits were reg
ognized. But the latest discovery of DIR.
Koch bids fair to outshine everything which
has been added to our medical knowledge
respecting the treatment and diagnosis Of
diseases
"1'he fearful acourge Of humanity, CON
sumption, which has hitherto baftled the
art Of medical men and was generally be-
lieved to be inourable, has been successfully
attacked by the great scrutinizer, and,
have no doubt, will also be conquered by
the man who has discovered it's real cause.
The scientific searcher who first found out
that consumption does not originate from
cold as was formerly believed by the laity,
but is caused by bacillus.
"ro ascertain the means by which the
restoration to health of the sufferers from
consumption can be effected, could not
possibly have been an easy thing and re.
quired a special man adapted for it. To
ind out the cause of consumption he had
to devote himself to long series OF inves-
LEGATIONS of the minute forms of parasitic
life, with which the human organism and
the bodies of animals are infested, and he
obtained sufficient evidence that one
of these, OF fngert-l'ke growth, of
length, and now called the bacillus of con-
sumption, is, by penetrating into the lungs
and irritating them by it's growth and de-
velopment, the active agent in that hitherto
incurable malady. He had to discover easy
means of Identifying and recognizing the
bacillus in question, 80 that others besides
himself might be able to prove its conneo-
tho invention of a faoile staining process,
which can be applied after little practice
by any one in quarter of an hour.
About 10000 people die annually of this
disease in Germany alone, and to find out
the cause DR.. Koch applied eight years of
patient labor. So strong was the belief in
its incurability that anyone besides DIR.
Koch who would have insinuated possi-
bility to the contrary, would simply have
been derided and looked upon as n charla-
tan and humbug. But DR.. Koch is known
as one of the most cautious of men. and he
states that the remedy he has discovered
Immediately stops the progress of
patient if he has strength enough
left to undergo the treatment.
perfect cure is the work of time only.
The discoverer does not pretend it will work
miracles and cause n new lung to grow
where it had been destroyed. The remedy
does not kill the tubercle bacilli, as DIR.
Koch himself stated, but the tuberculous
bounds the action of the remedy.
I'm what way the process of eliminating
the tuberculous tissue occurs cannot be
said with any certainty as yet, as the nsces-
sary astrological Investigations are not
complete. Pure air, good living ana nurs-
ing are, besides, essential to the successful
treatment of tuberculosis of the lungs.
"From the essay published by DIR. Koch
in the Berlin Medical Gazette, it ia evident
that he would rather have kept his secret
for some time longer. 1T was originally
my intention, the professor said, to COM
plete the research and especially gain suf1i.
cient experience regarding the application
Of the remedy in practice, and its produc-
tion on large scale. before publishing any.
thing on the subject. But in spite of all
the public and in an exaggerated
and distorted form, SO that it
seemed imperative, in order to prevent al
false impressions, to give at once a review
Of the position on the subject at the pres
ant stage of the enquiry
"There is hardly any doubt left that the
theory of the entire medical science of our
days will be upset and changed by DR..
koch's discovery. and diphtheria, cancer,
scarlet fever, measles, ETC., are the objects
Of close study on his own part as we'll as
that of his disciples. They are supposed to
be also caused by bacillus OF the kind
which produces tube rcuiOsis generally.
1.-The motion of DR.. Graf, president of
Of the Prusaian diet, the subsequent public
of DR.. kochs discovery by the
diet and Minister Won Gossler, the high
praise bestowed upon the labors of the dis
coverer by the famous French savant, DIR. |
Ppsteur, all prove the impOrtHnce attached