The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-01-07
New York Times. J


The medical world is awaiting with
interest the publication OF the formula
of asepsin, with which DR.. Cyrus Edison.
formerly of the Health Board, has been
making successful treatment in cases of
consumption.
II do not pretend" Dr. Edison said
to e reporter of the The New
York Times, "that have discovered an
absolute consumption cure, or even any
thing which is altogether new in the
treatment OF that disease. But, in tho
report which I am row preparing for
publication in The Medical Record, L
shall show that this asepsin treatment is
very rational one, and that it has been
successful in about 70 per cent of the case
treated
81 claim for it no positive and certain
cure, as was claimed, for instance, for the
Kooh lymph, but I shall publish my ex-
periments in about two weeks, with full
description, and give also the formula for
asepsin.
| DIR. Edison was averse to speaking of
the asepsin treatment yesterday, and said
| that partial report would only do harm.
II see the papers have already taken
the matter in hand,'' he said, "and I
think the information was given by a
| patient of mine, who imagined he was
doing me good turn
Remarkable results have been obtained
| in cases of malaria and intermittent
fever by the use Of asepsin. This has
| been proved by series of experiments
made during the past four months by
Dr. Edison, and other physicians. Nearly
2OO persons suffering from consumption
in this city are now being treated with
asepsin and so per cent of them are on q
fair way 80 recovery.
| The principal ORA back to the treat
mont is that it must be administered by
| an expert
The treatment consists. so far as could
| be learned, from DR.. Edison, of hypoder-
mic injections. Asepsin is a germic:de.
1t is q preparation of nasc6nt phenio
| acid. Is is INTENDED for the cure of dis
eases originating from germ infections,
particularly tuberculosis and malaria. Ii
may be injected in small quantities into
the blood without producing any local
irritation or assesses.
| The ben e1ioial effects of picnic acid
| and creosote when administered by the
| mouth to tuberculous patients suggested
| to DR.. Edison the idea of preparing a
| fluid containing the acid in nascent form
which could be- injected hypodermically
without producing irritation anu in suffi-
cient quantities to reinforce the system
| against germ invasion; or in other words
| TO turn the scale OF natural resistance in
| favor OF cure.
| The dose in a case of phthisis begins
| with from so to 70 minims, and is in
creased 10 minims daily until 100 miqlms
are given The patient should also be
sprayed twice day with a solution con-
sisting of 10 parts of iodofoIm and 80
parts of ether.
DR.. Edison prefers to inject the asepsin
into the abdominal particles, but when
| this course seems inadyisable the fluid
may he injected into the muscles Of the
back Its action is more efiiojentssif it il
absorbed slowly into the circulation, and
if the treatment is kept up for at least
thirty days after the disappearance Of the
| bacillj.
| In the case of malarial infection the
mode of administration is somewhat
different Two hundred miniIns OF
asepsin should be administered In two in
| Jections into the abdominal particles as
an initial dose the first day, and 100 daily
after that for seven days, 100 every Other
day for seven days and the same amount
every third day until three doses have
been administered. The injections are
then discontinued until the tweny-eighth
day, when d single dose of 100 minims
completes the treatment. A physician
| who has used asepsin supplied TO tim by
| DR.. Edson in the case of consuln ptlve
girl, eighteen years old, reports that the
sputa was filed with baoiIIi and the girl
was in state bordering on Collapse AS
an illustration OF the patients weak ness,
the report relates that in walk Of seven
| ty-five feet 30 g neighbours house. she was
compelled to stop and be supported while
suffering esrrible paroxysm of cough
ing The results obtained in this case
from the use of asepsin were remarkable
The entire system awoke in respo nse to
the treatment. Night sweats ceased and
the girl slept soundly, while the pains in
her chest disappeared and her breathing
became easy. The girl developed a
natural appetite for food in few weeks.
and an exami nation Of the sputa showed
"a rapid disappearance of the bacili
| The only unpleasant symptom yet
noticed in the asepsin treatment is the
appearance in some few cases of small
noule at the points Of injection. This,
however, soon disappears and has no Ill
| results
DR.. Edson's report. which will be very
full and will also contain the reports Of
other physicians who have conducted ex-
perimenGs with him, will be published
soon in The Medical Record.
SOME BLIZZARD STORIES.