The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-18
KOCH'S LAST TUBERCULIN.
SAYS HE CdN NOW CURE TUBERCULO-
SIS IN EARLT ES.
His Lymph Can ne Absorbed into tho system,
without Producing Abscerse-, aud Can im-
provo Considerably All Cases Whatever.

IHts Lymph Can ne Absorbed into tho system,
without Producing Ab-ceaser, aud Can Im-
prove Considerably All Cases Whatever.
From, the London Ddiiv Neirs.
Prof. Koch's article. in which he gives particu.
lars of his improved tuberculin. appears in tho
"Dcutsche Medicinische wochenschrift." About
| Ave years have elapsed since DIR. koch's ICON.
sumption cure caused 30 much sensation. The
disappointment that followed is within the
memory OF everybody. DIR. Koch, however. did
not himself lose faith in his discovery, and for
Ave years he has been endcnvoring to improve
1t. Now he brings 1t forward again, and al
though the memory OF FIVE years ago
must mako us skeptlca', IL must at
any rate occur to one that n m I'm Ike D.. Koch
does not expose himself without prccnution TO a
second defeat Of the kind. And. indeed. the dis
coverer expresses himself In his article with tho
greatest reserve. He avoids the word cure"
and confines himself to speaking OF consider
able Improvement" Moreover, he states that
his remedy Is not effective unless used in the
carly stages OF consumption; and IL will occur
to one that many cases Of consumption, II dag
noscd and treated Mt an early stage, are already
cured without tuberculin.
Prof. Koch begins his article with some intro
ductory remarks on the possibility Of rendering
men proof against tuberculosis. and his expert.
ments with tuberculin. Speaking o the lymph
as he first introduced 1t, he claims for 1t that 1t
proved efficacious as a means Of diagnosing tho
disease even at so early n stage that clinical OF.
scrvations and physical examination were OF no
avail. Concerning the difficulties encountered
by him In seeking a lymph which would render
the human subject immune. Dr.. Koch snys that
solutions with dead bacilli caused bad
assesses. When he filtered the fluid it
had no better effect than his first
tuberculin. When, after several years of ex-
periments, he came to the conviction that the
bacilli in an unchanged or, exactly speaking in
an undestroyod state. could not be atsorl ed. no
sought Tor means to destroy them mechanically
ties' as was cone oy dissoivlns them oy a chem.
isal process. In former experiments he had found
ical substances, both of which were no1.satura,
l nae aie0hS'' an. ana rs e ssn sspon, an,r by
boiling alcohol or ether. and is not. easily
saponifed. Both assume the so-called tuber-
being treated with diluted nitric acid and with
alcohol, These sebacic acids form, as the micro
ssSptS layer in its BODY. They protect the bsasii-
F re ads,1s7 d lSis 1,e Ths 9Sioc III }Ih s5s 5fst was ss.
perimcnts failed. Only when well-dried cul.
lures were taken and worked about for
any admixturc. one could see that the bacilii
decreased in number, and that finally only
a few remained. In order to remove these,
with distilled water and worked it. about by
which made 1000 revolutions in a minute. The
fluid was in about half an hour divided into q
layer, which contained no more bacilli. and a
muddy sediment sticking fast to the bottom.
mortar, and by the machine, and was divided 40
sG:ore. This manIpuiatiop was continued til
pieteiEy clear dnids.
This experiment was tho basis for Dr.. Koch'o
experiments on animals. and later on on human
beings. that the preparations 30 gained were all
completely :. resorbable," and never caused abb
first fiuid differed considerably from the others,
II csc were all alike. DIR. Koch called the
o." and the bottom layer 1T. r." tuber.
culin remainderl. Treated with .glyeerine
ingredients inso.uble in glycerine.. while
T. Q. contained those soluble IN it. This was
T. o. is very much like the ordinary tuberculin
in i,s qualities. II has almost the same effects
as the tuSercls,antitoxin: but i causes no alb
"immuniz!ng" effect. 1t certainly also causes
its effect is quite independent OF these re-
actions. While In using ordinary tubercu-
must mn or be .u psrposeiy proToke 81 IN Il; order I'd rea &c 81.
tain healing effects: Pr. Koch in using I: R.
which were made to follow each other as quickly;
! 8 The patients len e f tSa ntIssi. a ~ to mssskehim
is to say, render him immune against T. r. and
against the tubercle bacilli themselves. II a
man can be rendered proof against 7. r be Is
proof against the bacillus itself. Prof. Koch
adds that he made such numerous experiments
with T. r. that no doubt can exist about the cor
rectness of his statement.
The treatment is very simple. Injections are
made. as with the tuberculin, on the back with
a syringe. The fluid contains in one cubic cen.
eight milligrams OF solid. and by dilu.
ton with salt solution the proper dose is OBJ
tanned. One hye-lundredth of a milligram in
given first. This is such q small dose that only
very rarely reaction sets in. When this is tho
case 1t must DO still more diluted. The injec-
tons are made about every second day, and tho
dose is increased so slowly that increase of the
temperature above half a degree is avoided.
The rising of the temperature, If caused
by the injection, must have completely disap-
penred before resnming the injections; Asa
and II no reaction. is perceptible he
to, inject. or only does SO after long
He has gained the impression that COM