The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-01-16
DIR. KoCH'S MAGIC LYMPH.
The Discoverer Reveals the Secret and
Details His Guinea Pig Experiments.

The Discoverer Reveals the Secret and
Details His Guinea Pig Experiments.
BERLIN, Jan. 15.-Professor Kochs report, IS
sued today, as 10 the Ingredients which compose
his lymph, says it consists of glycerine and ex-
tract from pure cultivation OF tubercle baeiIIi.
Professor Koch says:
$50 far as have been able 10 review the state
ments published and the communications re-
ceiyed by letter my expectations have been fully
ana completely confirmed. The general con-
census OF opinion Is that the remedy has a spe-
cine effect upon the tubercular tissues. and is
therefore applicable as q very delicate agent for
the discovering OF latent disease and the dag
nosing OF doubtful tuberculosis processes. Re
garding the curative effects OF the remedy, Just
reports agTee that despite the comparative short
duration OF lis application many patients have
shown more or less pronounced improvement
II has been affirmed ip not few cases even that
cure has been established.
standing quite by itself is the assertion that
the remedy may not only be dangerous in cases
Which have advanced too far, fact which may
forthwith be conceded, but also that it actually
promotes tuberculosis process, being therefore
injurious. During the past six weeks l myself
further experiences touching the curative effects
and diagnostic application Of the remedy. In
the cases OF about l50 sufferers from tuberculosis
OF most varied types in this city and in the
Moabite hospital. can only say that everything
/ have lately seen eoucurs with my previous OBJ
seryatlons- Now that. after sufficient confirm
atory evidence, its Importance has been really
proved. my next task is 10 extend my study of
the remedy beyond the field where IL has hirh-
erto been applied, and. II possible, TO apply the
principle underlying the discovery to other dis
Then follows lengthy description of the way
he arrived at the discovery OF the remedy. He
says:
'If healthy guinea pig be inoculated with a
pure cultivation or 'germen -kuitur" OF
tubercle bacilli, the wound caused by inocula-
and appear in its early days to heal After ten
or fourteen days a hard nodale presents itself
which, soon breaking, forms an uicerating sore,
which continues until the enimal dies Quite a
different condition OF things occurs when a
guinea pig already suffering from tubeTculgr
disease IS inocuiated. In such an animal
tne small lndentatlon assumes the same
sticky covering at the beginning, but
no nocule forms. On the day follow
ing or the second day after the inocula-
tion the place where the lymph was injected be-
comes hard and assumes darker color, which
Is not confined TO the incubation spot but
spreads. In a Jew DAYS in becomes manifest
tnat the SKIN Is thus changed 70 neerotic and
nnally, falling on, leaves nat liberation,
which usually heals rapidly and permanently.
This effect Is not exclusively produced with liv-
ing tubercular bacilIi, but is also observed
with dead baeilh, the result being the same,
whether the baeili are killed By somewhat
prolonged application Of temperature at the
1oliug heat or by means OF certain chemicals.
tuberculosis guinea pigs are killed by the in
lection OF very small quantities OF the diluted
cultivation, N TACT, within six 10 forty-e;ght
hours. according 20 the strength OF the dose
An injection which is not sufficient 10 produce
the death OF the animal may cause an extended
necrosis of the skIn N the vicinity OF the place
Of injection. An Injection still further diluted
causes the animals inoculsted 70 Temaiu alive,
an1 noE.ceSole improvement n their condition
soon s1pery enes. II tae injections are continued
az intervals Of from one 10 two days the
ulceTating incubation wound becomes smaller
ana finally scars over. the size Of the swollen
IyTOpaatlc glands is reduced, the body becomes
better noprlshed, and the morbid process ceases.
unless II has gone too far. in which case the
animal perisAes from exhaustion BY this
means the basis OF q curative process against
tuberculosis Is established.
Again, on the practical application OF srieh
diluu0ns OF dead tubsrcular baciiN. there pFg-
scented themselves tubsrcle baeiih not absorbed
AZ the incubation point, nor do they disappear
IN another way, but for \ long tine remain I'M
changed and engenGer larger or smaller suppur-
alive Taei. The only important question was 10
extract nom the tueerculsr bseilh a curative
substance finally succeeded with the use OF 20
20 - per cent OF u solution OF glycerine in OBJ
tanning an effective substance from tubarcular
baeilh- With the fuid 50 obtained / made
further experiments on animals, and finally On
human beings. The remedy which is used in
tie new treatment consists Of glyeerine extract
derived from pure cultivation OF tuberele
haeln. Into the simple extract there naturally
passes from the tubercular bacilli, besides the
effective substances, all other matter soluble in
- per cent. Of glyeeriDe. Consequently il con-
ta!ns certain quantity OF mineral salts cosorirg
substances and other unknown extractiye
matter.
The effective substance is insoluhle in ALSO
IL
nos Indeed in q pure condition, but stu com
clIleS with other eGfractive matter hich Is ike
" lSe lns0luble In alcohol. The coloriug matter
may be also removed. rendering il possible TO
obtain from the extract Il coloTleSs dry sub
stance containing the effective prinei pie in a
much more concentrated form than the original
slycerine solution. For application in practice
this publication OF the glyce-ine extract offers
no advantage, because TIE substances so elfInin-
sted are unesSentisl for the human organism,
and the process Of publication would make the
cost q the remedy unnecessarily high
Dr.. Koch, without Affirming that his view az
lords the best explanation presents soma ideas
s. u the workings OF the lymph They are in
brief, Ehsi the tGbercse bacilli, produced when
growing IL living tissues, the same as IN arri-
neial CIVILIZATIONS contain certain substances
which uRfsydrahly influence the living eIe-
nents II their vicinity. In the It's
sue this becomes neero,ie, the bacillus finds
such uEtavo-ahle conditions OF neurishment
tbst II oannot grow more, and sometimes dies
IL IS II such manner that the remedy seems 20
Wo1S- II contains certain quantity OF
netrctlzlng substance, which sutFcss 10 induce
a. certain places, namely, where the tabercle
o@elll are yesetafiag and have already i'm
pTegnSied the adjacent region with nscroEigsns
matter, more or less extensive necrosis OF cells.
with phenomena IN the whole organism which
result tToEa and are connected with IT. Fer the
present, 81 least IL is impossible TO exnaln the
spec1sc influence which the rernesay in eccr-
TSfeiy deemed doses exercises upon tubsrenlo-