St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-26
CONCERNING THE BACILLUS OF
CONSUMPTION NOT SHARED BY
LOCAL PHYSICIANS.
THEY THINK INHALATION
RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE ENTRAN-
CEs THAN THE DRINKING OF
DISEASED MILK.
CATHODE x RAYS AS A CURE.
Belief That They Can be Turned on
the Lungs and Kill the
BaciIli.

DR.. Carl Won Ruck's letter to DIR.
Price, of this city, appearing in yes
terday's G o e, met with diversified
opinion among ST. Paul physicians.
| DR.. Won Ruck, who was formerly as
sistant to Prof. Koch, of Berlin, Of
lymph fame, and who is now connected
with the Vinegar sanitarium at Ashe-
vile, N. c., has made a special study
Of tuberculosis, and in his letter to
DR.. Price, said:
Now as to the question of danger
from the use of food products which
are derived from tubercular animals
There can be no manner of doubt that
the evidence is going strongly to prove
that human tuberculosis does not, as
a rule, spread through the inhalation
Of germs, but that it is conveyed to
the victim through the alimentary
canal"
The doctor then went on to give the
chief sources Of danger which he stated
would undoubtedly be through milk,
butter and perhaps cheese, and also
from the kidneys. liver and other
glandular structures of animals.
A G b e reporter yesterday inter-
viewed number Of prominent physi-
a speciality of tuberculosis.
DR.. Talbot Jones, when shown Dr..
Won Ruck's letter, said:
Il think DR.. Won Ruck entirely too
fad1cal In his statement that the vast
majority Of cases of tuberculosis is due
TO our food stuffs, and that it is intro
duced In the system in the form Of
1000 stuffs On the contrary, the vast
majority CT cases of tuberculosis,
fn IN lot
due primarily to the inhalation Of tu-
bercle bacilli, primary lesion being in
the lung and not from injection Of food.
A small proportion of cases of tuber-
culosis in the adult may arise from con-
taminated food stuffs, or from tuber-
culous meat but it must be very
small percentage. In the first place,
tUbercle bacilli are killed in the pro-
cess of cooking. In the second place,
any tubercle bacilli remaining would
be killed by the powerful antiseptic
action Of the gastric juice of our stom-
ach.
Il can see in the case Of babies or
young children whose food for the first
year is chiefly milk, or rather unlocked
milk, that tubercle bacilli could be in
troduced in that way, and that is the
explanation why such a large proper
ton of tuberculosis in children is found
to start primarily in the abdominal
organs. l think a far more important
reform looking to the suppression of
tuberculosis, than that of inspecting
milk and cattle, would be the agitation
of stopping this vile splitting habit of
the American people, for as has already
been stated, vast majority Of all
cases of consumption are primarily due
to the inhaling Of the eXpectoration Of
cOnsumptives in the form of dust of
our streets, street cars, public build
ings, etc.
DR.. H. Longstreet Taylor. when seen
regarding the matter, said:
1.-THE danger from tubercular cattle
is not overstated at all in Dr. Won
Ruck's article. 1t is unqueStionab1y
the chief source from which tubercul-
osis is spread among the people. 1t is
also certain that in tuberculin we have
an infallible diagnostic agent, which Of
course puts the remedy within reach.
1t becomes then simply a matter of
expense, and it is the manifest duty,
not only Of the state, but of the federal
government, to make the inspection of
all dairy herds as thorough as possible.
When the government, in addition to
this inspection Of cattle, shall establish
special institutions for consumptives,
more especially for the consumptive
poor then they will have done their
manifest duty, and tuberculosis will
rapidly become diminished in it's eX-
tent. Special hospitals for the con-
sumptive poor will not only protect the
community by keeping these people out
of the factories, offices and workshops,
where their presence is a constant
menace to their fellow workmen, but
it will send many of them back to their
work cured.
"All the statements made by DR.
Won Ruck are granted by all scien-
lists interested in this department Of
knowledge. In tuberculin and anti
phthisin we have therapeutic agents of
great value in treatment of consump-
tion''
DR.. Charles Greene, after reading the
letter, said: 1.-THE article itself is a
very timely one, very well expressed,
and there is no question as to the fire.
quency of infection through the ali
mentary tract though it may occur
through the respiratory tract as we'll
I believe, however, that the frequency
Of infection through the alimentary
tract is somewhat overestimated in
DR.. Won Ruck's article.
ct is extremely important that the
public should be brought to see the
necessity of the application of this