Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-07
EXAMINING THELYMPH
The Government Doctors Have Found
aLymph for Diphtheria.
HUNTING FOR BACTERIA.
At All Events Immunity From Diphtheria
Can Be Produced and Probably Cured
Wonderful Results From Koch's Remedy
Prospects for Treating Other Diseases.


to information furnished STAB reporter, a
lymph that is q specific for the cure Of diph-
iberia
They have been engaged OF late in . most
active and interested investigation Of DR..
Koch's remedy for consumption, both as to its
constitution and respecting its curative prop
critics. With relation to the former point they
are inclined to believe. funnily enough, that
DR.. Koch does not himself know precisely what
Is the curative element in his own preparation.
To explain this it is merely necessary to quote
in plain language DR.. Koch's own description
Of the process by which the lymph is made. As
he tells it, little beef soup, boiled to u jelly
is put into glass tube. The tube is corked
with plug of cotton and heated until all the
germs in it, such are floating everywhere in
the air. are killed Then particle of dead
persons lung, diseased with consum ption. is
touched TO the jelly in the tube. the p lug being
briefly removed for the purpose, and the tube,
recOrked. is permitted to stand for few hours.
At the end Of that time the bacilli of consuInp-
tion. fading the jelly good to feed upon. have
multiplied enormously in the tube, so that a
patch containing myriads of them, maybe as
big as dime, has formed upon the surface of
the Jelly.
Nothing can be simpler than the process so
far You could perform it yourself with little
care and any one of the germs thus produced,
. case Of consumption
THE GLYcERrSE EXTRACT.
Now, Dr.. Koch, as he himself saws having
srtihcially propagatsd patch of bacilt in this
way, drops into a tube with them a small auan-
tity of glycerine. Then he takes the mixture
thus produced and strains it through filter of
clay SO fine that the bacilli cannot pass through
H. What does pass through is the glycerine,
conveying with it certain poisonous elements
belonging to the bacilli. but as has been said.
not the bacilh themselves One of these poison
Gus elements is called ''ptomaine." and the
other "tOx-albumen-" Both OF them have a
very extraordinary attribute person inOcu-
lated with either the one or the other exhibits
the symptoms Of the disease, without the COM
plant itself. The same thing applies to other
diseases. like typhoid, pneumonia, Giphtheria.
carbuncle, &c. From the germs of each in
like manner. can be obtained its peculiar
poison. without the germs themselves which
injected into the system. viii produce merely
the symptoms of the complaint without the
actual disease.
Thus. by straining the mixture Of glvcerine
and consumption bacilli through The clav filter
Dr. Koch gets what he calls a ''glycerine ex-
tract. that j., glycerine with the poisonous
elements of the disease in it. This extract is
the lymph But which Of the two poisonous
elements IN the extract Is the principle which
actively operates IA cure for consumption?
The government medical authorities here be-
heve that DIR. Koch himself dOesnOt know. To
men is a difficult chemical problem and Dr.
Koch IL not q chemist. When the two have
been set apart ard experiments have been
made with each he viii doubtless communicate
TO the world more definitely the precise consti-
tutlon Of the curative agent and The nature of
Its active principle. He does rot know this
now. and this IL the reason for his partial reti-
eence. Such, at all events. is the cause sur
missed.
When DR.. Koch some months ago first re-
celvel the congratulations Of tine world upon
his discovery he mOdestly replied that thanks
snOulI not be attributed 50 lnucn TO him self "A
10 the modern Developments of the microscope.
whlth had rendered the success of his irvesti-
cations possible. From this slatemen the infer
eEce has been drawn that the herr doctor dis
covered by observation under the instrument n
method Of producing y feeble stage in the de-
veloPment o. the bacilh. at which il YVES posi-
bic advaItaSeously to obtain n weakly culture
OF the germs upon the jelly. suitable for mis-
purpose This suTmi-e Is ONLY interesting be-
cause II Is entertained by the experimenters in
the government behalf.
THE LYMPH IS VERY CHEAP
By way of parenthesis it is worth remarkin
that the proposition to establish a producing
plant for the lymph in this country is not in
the least likely TO be carried out for the simple
reason that the material is so very cheap TO
buy abroad At present market rates il costs
only 1915 a vial. the contents of which are
sufficient for 5000 injections. Two cents an
injection will abOu; cover the cost Of treatment
and surely that l. cheap enough Fifty cents
worth OF lymph will be enough to cure-if il
proves a cure. rs is expected-the average vic
tim Of lnclpient consumption
Already the government Is sending out to all
The army posts Quantities OF the lymph in
readiness for use 1t Is dispatched in a very
peculiar fashion to insure its EMPLOYMENT in a
proper manner. Necessarily it must be steril-
lied, so that when inoculations are made no
foreign germs, which might cause Assesses
shall be introduced into the system. Therefore
each drop of lymph is sealed up in glass bulb
closed Dramatically by blowpipe. and with the
drop goes tube. closed likewise. and contain
ing nlnety-nlne drops Of distilled water. The
army doctor who desires 20 make an injection
Is instructed to place the bulb containing the
drop OF lymph In glass receptacle, smash il
up-as by pestle in n mortar-with the tube
OF water. and so mix the lymph with the water
thus preparing the mixture for use as an injec-
hon The quantity is enough for thirty-five
injections, and whatever l. left can be boiled in
splugged tube, SO as to sterilize it fox further
employment
SATISFACTORY ExPERIMEyrs
Vow, as to the curative properties of the
lymph, the experience Of the government
physicians has been most satisfactory One
case at the Freedman's Hospital il this CITY is
that OF a consumptiye far progressed that
the sputun coughed up showed from a dozen
10 a score OF baellh to every sixteenth of an
1880 -NO" al ldil a UOLen weeks OF
treatment II Is very difficult indeed to find any
baellh at all In the sputum; the cough Of the
patient has almost ceased, he has rapidly gained
IN weight. and within,a month he will probably
be discharged as cured.
Three cases Of lupus at the same hospital
are rapidly on the road to recovery CON
sumption, II must be understood is tuberculosjs
OF the lungs The same disease attacking the
akin Is called lupus, because of its DESTROY
ing nature One of the patients afflicted with
This complaint, a woman had suffered with il
ever since she was eight years of age. Her nose
vas as big a. a tumbler and her whole face
mass Of raw flesh Now. after a few injections.
the nose. though still misshapen. is reduced 70
normal proportions, and the raw flesh is skinned
over month hence she will be discharged
cured Lupus Is not a common complaint in
This country, but in Europe, particularly Ger
many, II Is most prevalent
IMPORTANT RESULTS EXPECTED.
Most important results are likely to come
about indirectly from these investigations by
the medical authorities of the government Al
ready, acting upon the lines Of the Koch dis
eovery, they believe that they have found
cure Tor dlphtheria- Researches in this con-
necnon are being carried on BY Dr. EA
eenwelnitz OF the Department of Agriculture
and Dr. William Gray. bacteriologist of the
Army Medical Museum The diphtheria cure
IL not q certainty yet, but almost. So far they
merely know that they can produce immunity
from the disease, just smallpox NAV be rem
dered impossible by vaccination. 1t is a med
ical axiom that what IL true of a guinea MIC
pathologically speaking il trre 81 "a