The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-08
GERMS ARE DOOMED
DIR. CYRUS EDISON DESTROYS THEM
WITH PEEN0L

Great New York Physician Holds out Hope
to the Hopeless in the Form of a Cure
for Consumption and gives the Formula
How Little 0diet Reasoning Develop
ed the Theory ard Much Quiet Expert
mentatIon led to the Discovery which
Filled all Requirements of the Case
Taking Natures Hint.
New York, Feb. 7.-Mr Cyrus Edison,
who was at one time commissioner OF
health for the city and county of New
York, and who has been for years one
of the well known contributors OF the
leading magazines, published an article
an the Medical Record-the Lancet
among the medical journals in the
United Sta tes-under the following title
"A Rational Treatment for Phthis IS
PuImonalis. together with some notes
on a new remedial treatment" Under
this headline comes the description of
a discovery made by DIT. Edison, which
it is held. may solve the hitherto I'M
solved problem OF the cure Of consump-
ton.
Of all the diseases which affilicts the
human race tuberculosis, in one form
or another, is the most fatal Among
the people OF nations sufficiently civil
liked to keep records of deaths with
their cause, about One-third are charg-
ca TO tuberculosis. The most COM
mon form Of the disease is consumption
and all men remember the sensation
which followed the announcement of
Professor Koch, that he hoped he had
discovered a remedy. But, tuberculosis
kills thousands of babies when it at
1acks them in the bowels and 1t causes
many men to walk with crutches. The
disease is protean in character; there is
scarcely part Of the body it may not
invade, and it kills about one-third Of
all who die.
MICROBE COLONIES.
In order 10 understand Mr.. Edison's
discovery, it is necessary to remem-
Der that Pasteur and Koch discovered
and established the fact that germ dis
eases had as their ultimate cause the
presence in he body of minute organ
isms, called germs. microbes and the
like. 1t was not long before these
germs We're cultivated, as it was called.
That is, some germs from a diseased
person were transferred 10 some boUl-
lion, Irish moss, or some substance on
which they would grow; placed IN a ma
chine where the temperature was main
tanned at that OF the blood and there
allowed 10 increase and multiply
which they did with surprising rapid
ity. These cultivated germs were iden-
tical with those in the diseased person,
and was proved not only by the expert
ments with guinapigs, but by the fact
that many of the scientific men study
/,
lated with them and have died as the
result.
Having the cultivated, the scientific
men made many experiment. They
found that disinfectants would kill
these germs. They found. for exam
pie that if a mixture Of one part Of
phenOl or carboIic acid, to three thous-
ands paris Of water, were fioated over
a colony of germs and left there for
wenty-four hours, all these germs died.
1t ma turaIy occurred to them that If
carbOIic acid would kill germs outside
the body 1t would kill them inside; and
the conclusion that if they would kill
all the germs in the body, they would
destroy the cause Of the disease and
thus cure the latter was apparent. The
experiment was promptly tried.
ABSCESSES INSTEAD.
The result was. some Of those in
whom these injections We're put, de-
veloDed assesses ar the point of in
lection. Far more, however, were
poisoned by the acid and the idea had TO
be given up. It was too fascinating,
though. Declat of Paris made mix
ture Of one OF the acids 10 one-hun-
dred Of water and putting little salt
continued the injections, getting from
them q larger percentage Of cures.
Dr. Edison had his attention directed
10 this subject in the early part of 1895,
and he began the study Of carbolic acid.
He found that SJadler, Marck, Briegar,
SaIkowski and other great chemists
agreed in declaring that phenol was a
normal constituent of the urine of man,
the horse and the COW. As whatever is
IN the urine comes from the blood after
il has been strained through the kid
neys this meant that DhenOl or carbOlic
acid was always n the blood Of man.
RIaTck's figures were, in the urine of a
healthy person, COOS grains of phanol
TO the litre; Salkowski declared that
during disease this amount rose to l.
1913 grains per litre. In other words,
nature herself increased the amount OF
carbonc acid in the blood over one
thousand times as soon as a person be
came sick. Yet ali observers agree
that caTbolic acid could not be injected
into the blood without poisonous ef-
fecJs.
In other words, DR.. Edison had the
problem before him about as follow:
Here is a substance, a known antisep-
tic which viii kill the cultivated germs;
not only present IN the blood at all
times, but increa sed by nature during
disease; which all men say cannot be
injected without poisoning the patient.
Why
FIND THE RIGHT SOLUTION.
DR.. Edison answered his own Ques-
6iOn by saying: Because We have not
Yet found the right form or solution of
il. If we find that, we can inject.
He began the search and after long
and tedious experiment produced q fluid
he calls asceptolln. II is perfectly col
orleSs, looks Ike crystal and smells
strongly OF carbolic acid. 1t contains
as per cent OF caTbolic acid and 10
every ounce of il there is added one
hundredth of a grain Of new salt dis
covered by DR.. Edison during his work.
a salt called locarpin-hydroxide. The
asceptOlin is injected under the skin
and thus directly into the blood. The
100 minims OF drops, injected with a
hypodermatic syringe once in twenty
four hours.
Now. what happens after the injec-
tion2 If the total amount Of blood in
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