The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-01-22
KooH,s nAorrRIA KILLER.
How The Doctor Arrived at The pI.eo,

How the Doctor Arrived at the piacovi ry
BERLIN, Jan. lj.-The secret of the in
gradients entering into the composition
of Prof, Koch's lymph is given to-day to
the world. Prof. Koch says:
Since publishing two months ago the
results of my experiments with the new
remedy for tuberculosis, many phys;-
clans who received the preparation here
have been enabled to become acquainted
with its properties through their own ex-
| periments. So far as have been able to
review the statements published and the
communications received by letter my
| impressions have beenfully and complete
ly confirmed. The concensus of opinion is
that the remedy has specific effect on
tubercular tissues, and is, therefore, ap-
plicable as a very delicate and sure
reagent for discovering latent and dag
noSing doubtful tuberculosis processes.
Regarding the curative effects of the
remedy, most reports agree that, despite
the comparatively short duration of its
application, many patients have shown
more or less pronounced Improvement
1T has been affirmed that in not few
cases even a cure has been established.
Standing quite by itself is the assertion
that the remedy may not only be danger
Gus in cases which have advanced too far
Ia fact which may forthwith be conced-
ed-but also that it actually promotes
the tuberculosis process, being therefore
injurious. Curing the past six weeks |
had opportunity to bring together expe-
riences touching the curative effects and
diagnOstic application of the remedy in
the cases of about $50 sufferers from
tuberculosis of the most varied types. |
can only say that everything | have lat
terly seen accords with my previous
observations. There has been nothing
to modify in what before reported,
As long as it was only a question of
proving the accuracy of my indications
it was needless for any one to know what
the remedy contained or whence it was
derived, On the contrary, subsequent
testing would necessarily be more un-
biased the less people know of the
remedy itself. Now, after sufficient con
tirmatory testing the Importance of the
remedy is proved, my noxt task is to ex
tend my study of the remedy beyond
the field where it has hitherto been ap-
piled, and If possible to apply the prin-
ciple underlying the discovery of other
! diseases. This task naturally demands
a full knowledge of remedy. | there
fore consider that the time has arrived
when the requisite indications in this
direction shall be made. This is done in
what follows. ....
Before going into the remedy itself
deem it necessary, for the better under
standing of it's mode of operation, to
state briefly the way by which | arrived
at the discovery. II a healthy guinea
pig be inOculated with the cultivation of
| ~ 1r.,1i,r ,f l,,hay.n1n I,,.ls
wound caused by the incubation mostly
closes over with sticky matter and ap.
pears, In its early days, to heal Only
after ten to fourteen days hard nOdule
presents itself which, soon breaking,
forms an ulGerating sore, which continues
until the animal dies. Quite a different
condition of things occurs when guinea
pig already suffering from tuberculosis
is inOculated. An animal successfully
inoculated from four to six weeks before
is best adapted foI this purpose. In such
an animal the small indentatiOn assumes
the same sticky covering at the begin
ming, but no nodule forms. On the con-
trary, on the day following or the second
day after the inOculatiOn, the place
where the lymph is injected shows a
change. 1t becomes hard and assumes
dark coloring which is not confined to
the the incubation spot, but spreads to
the neighboring parts until it attains a
diameter of from .05 to / centimetre. In
few days it becomes more and more
manifest that the skin thus changed is
necrotic, finally falling off, leaving a flat
liberation, which usually heals rapidly
and permanen ly, without any cutting
into tile adjacent lymphatic glands.
Thus the injected tubercular bacilli diff
| ferently affect the skin of a healthy
guinea pig from one affected with tuber
culosis. This effect is not exclusively
produced with living tuhercular baccilli,
but is also observed with the dead bac-
cilli, the result being the same, whether
as | discovered by experiments at the
outset, the baccilli are killed by some
what prolonged application of a low tenn
perature, 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 the tubercular bac-
cilli after rinsing in water might be in
| iected in great quantities under healthy
guinea pigs skin without anything oc-
curing beyond local supperation. Tu-
berculous guinea pigs, on the other hand,
are killed by the injection of very small
quantities of such diluted civilizations.
In fact, within six to fOrty-eight hours,
accOrding to the strength of the dose, an
| injection which is not sufficient to pro-
duces 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 in
oculated remain alive and noticeable
improvement in their condition soon
supervenes. II the injections are con-
tinued at intervals of of from one to two
days, the ulcerating incubation would
become smaller and finally scar over,
which otherwise it never does; the size
of the swollen Emphatic glands is re-
duced the body becomes better nouT-
ished and the morbid process ceases, un-
less it has gone to far, in which case the
animal perishes from exhaustion.
The only important point was, there
fore, to induce outside the body the pro-
cess going on inside if possible, and to
extract from the tubercular baccilla
alone the curative substance. This de-
manded time and toll, until | finally sue
ceeded with the aid of forty to fifty per
cent, solution of glycerino in obtaining
an effective substance from the tubeF-
Culttl DdNtlllds w lll VIC lulNl 81 OD-
tanned | made furthur experiments ON
animals, and finally on human beings.
These fluids were given to other physi-
clans to enable them to repeat the exper-
| iments.
BY this means the basis Of curative
process against tuberculosis was estab-
| lished. Against the practical application
of such dilutiOns Of Dead tubercle baccillI
| there presented itself the fact that the
| tubercle baccilli are not absorbed at the
incubation points, nor do they disappear
in any other way, but for a long time re-
main unchanged and engender greater
or smaller suppurative food. Anything
therefore, intended to exercise healing
effect on the tuberculous process must
be a soluble substance, which would be
lixiviated to a certain extent by the fluids
of the body floating around the tubercle
bacilli and be transferred in a fairly
rapid manner to the juices of the body
while the substance producing suppura-
tiOn apparently remain behind in the
tubercular bacilli or dissolves, but very
slowly. r"
The remedy which is used In the new
treatment consists of a glycerine extract,
derived from the pure cultivation of
tubercle bacilli. Into the simple extract
there naturally passes from the tubercu.
lar bacilli, besides the effective sub
stance, oil the other matter soluble in
fifty per cent. glycerine. Consequently
it contains a certain quantity of mineral
salts, colOfing substance and other un-
known eXtTaotive matter. Some of these