Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-27
BROWN.SEQUARD METHOD.
Good Results Obtained After q
Thorough Test.
4 FREECHMAN Is RECOVERING
Under the care of the Diseoverer Of This
New Blessing.
INTERESTING RESULTS OFEXPERIMENTS

President of the New York Bacteriological
Society and director OF the Pasteur In
stitute, read an interesting and important
paper before the Medical Society of the
county of New York, at the Academy OF
Medicine in West Forty-third street, to-
night, on "a New Agent in the Treatment
of Epilepsy" In it he tells the results Of
scientific treatment, which he has applied
to class of patients for the first time in
this country or elsewhere. The treatment
Is in line with that which has excited inter-
est in scientific medical circles in France,
and is step in advance of the method en-
ployed in "a somewhat similar treatment in
Paris.
The material used is prepared from the
vital organs of the sheep, after it has un-
dergone certain treatment in the laboratory
of the Pasteur Institute. The injections
were made daily in each side of the patient
Just above the hip bone. DIR. Gibier said
that some two years ago an account was
published in the French medical journals
of an epileptic patient, treated at the Pas
teur Institute in Paris, for the bite of
mad dog, who was cured of his epilepsy by
the anti-rabic injections More recently
other accounts of the cure OF epileptics by
injections of the rabic virus had been pub
lished and public interest had been aroused
in the new treatment.
Jumped at a Possible Cure.
Before an opportunity was offered to
competent critics to examine the remedy,
or the statements of patients who were sup
posed to be cured and also without waiting
for the test of time as to- the reliability OF
the treatment, it was widely accepted and
more than one hypothesis of its mode OF
action was proposed. DR.. Gibier said that
one observation at least was established,
aud that was that some patients had their
seizures checked, at least temporarily, after
the injections of the anti-rabic virus
After some remarks upon the rationale of
the cure and the normal functions of the
nervous system restored, DR.. Gibier said
that he had been enabled, by the courtesy
of Charles L. Dana, Visiting Physician at
Bellevue Hospital, to make a number of
observations extending over six months of
the effect of anti.rabic inoculation upon
persons afflicted with epilepsy. He said
that one of these patients furnished him
with an observation which seemed to show
that as far as n cure for epilepsy is con-
cerned we cannot expect much from the
Pasteur injections. The patient, man of
80 wears, an epileptic from infancy, had
been treated with the anti-rabic injections
for 18 days in the intensive form, and not
only did the epileptic convulsions continue
but they increased in numbers.
Not Surprised at Fai ure.
Dr. Gibier said he was not surprised at
this failure, inasmuch as he had learned in
directly that the cause of the untimelv an
nouncement of the cure of epilepsy by the
anti-rabic inoculations was due to the fact
that this disease had been temporarily
stopped, during and after the inoHulations,
in two young el 'eptics who had been Bit
ten by mad dogs and treated at the Paris
Pasteur Institute. Dr. Gibier ascertained
that in the injections given at the Pasteur
Institute, by which temporary relief seemed
to have been afforded to some epileptic
patients, the rabic virus was not injected
alone, but in,,association with large amount
of nervous substance, and therefore it oc-
CURED to him that if any benefit had been
derived from these injections, it might be
attributed to the nervous matter and not to
the contained virus. Consequently he de-
termined to test the treatment with the in
lection of gray nervous substance, which he
called nervlne. The fluid was prepared &C.
cording to the strictest rules OF bacteriology
and in order to avoid fatal accidents it was
made perfectly aseptic. The doctor said
that the idea of the new treatment was
derived from the method proposed by DIR.
Brown -Sequard, who thinks that fluids ex-
tracted from young and healthy organs can
give to those which are abnormal and gentle
the attributes of youth and health.
A Frenchman Getting Well.
Dr. Gibier then gave an account of the
results he had obtained with the use of his
nervine in cases of epilepsy. In reference
to the case of young Frenchman who be-
longs to family with an epileptic history,
DR.. Gibier said:
Before being subjected to this treatment
he was almost continually in Estate of
epileptic vertigo, losing consciousness
persistent headache and very severe
seizure at least once weekly. His memory
and his mental powers were decreasing
steadily, and his face had a very idiotic ex.
preston. He had been subjected to various
forms of treatment without much improve
ment Under the influence OF the
injection, administered five times
weekly, and without any other remedy, his
attacks diminished in number and gravity,
he recovered consciousness very rapidly
after the seizures, without persistent head
ache, and his memory became brighter His
telligent One of tire most interesting re-
suits Was the disappearance of the vertigo,
which is only present when the treatment Is
| Interrupted. Instead of four or five violent
attacks in the period of q month, he was one
month and q half without any symptoms of
morbus sacer. To-day he receives only two
injections of six cubic centimeters weekly,
and for two months his Improvement has
| heen most satisfactory,