The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-04
KOCH'S NEW TUBERCULIN
SCIENTIST THINKS HE HAS A con-
SUMPTION ANTIDoTE.
Does Not Predict 1t VIII Work a Conn
pIete Cure, but Says 1t VIII Great
Iy Benefit Patients.
New York Press.

When some years ago DR.. Koch an
nounced to the world his discovery of a new
treatment for consumption by incubation
great things were expected of it, and the
world hoped that a cure for this great
scourge of the human race had been found
But the cure" failed to cure, and re-
action followed in the popular mind and in
the professional, 100, as for that, regarding
DR.. Koch and his work. But the doctor
has been at work steadily all the time, and
announces a new ''tuberculin' which, if it
does not absolutely cure in all cases, at
least is of great benefit in cases of con-
sumption. He says that he has expert
mented with the preparation upon a large
number of suitable patients, and in many
cases the condition of such patients has
been so far improved that they might be
considered cured, though he does not claim
an absolute cure. since sufficient time with
out relapse has not passed fully to war
rant such an assertion. DR.. Koch has just
published the results Of his experiments
and Investigations in German medical
paper, and the medical profession in Ger
many is now discussing his claims. AS ne
failed to get satisfactory results by the
injection of the bacteria of consumption,
DR.. Koch directed his efforts to the extrac-
ton of such component parts of the bac-
terium as could be absorbed. Dean B. Ma
son, the United States vice consul general
at Frankfort, in writing to the State De-
partment about Dr.. Koch's new discovery,
says
These efforts resulted in the discovery
of tuberculin, a substance which has the
valuable quality of producing characteristic
symptoms when injected in extremely small
hnS tO
detect the disease in its earliest stages,
when it can be most easily cured. DR.
Koch insists that the value of tuberculin
for purposes Of diagnosis has only been
confirmed by time, and calls attention to
the fact that it is in general use for dag
nosis in cases of phthisis affecting cattle
''Dr. K och states that the theory that the
bacteria of consumption were rendered mo-
bile by the use of tuberculin and could be
carried to healthy parts of the body has
been proven to be erroneous by the results
obtained in thousands of injections made
upon cattle. He has himself made use of
tuberculin with over a thousand consump-
tive patients without discovering any rea-
son to believe that injections of tubercuiin
tend to cause the spread of phthisis, and he
maintains that tuberculin should be used
for the diagnosis of consumption. with hui
man beings as we'll as for diagnosing tuber-
Cular diseases of cattle.
THE FIRST INFECTIONS.
"An unmistakable improvement was
shown after the first injections of tubercu-
lin and it was consequently used for thera-
peutic purposes as long as it continued to
produce good results 1t cannot be used in
definitely to advantage, as the system be-
comes immune to it's effects after a certain
time and can remain so for months. Re-
lapses occur when the remedy loses it's
power, but after the treatment with tuber-
culin has been discontinued for some time,
it can again be employed with good results.
DR.. Koch maintains that in cases of con-
sumption where no complications exist, a
decided Improvement can be produced by
the use Of tubercultn. AS the bacilli of tu-
berculosis are not affected by injections
effect of this remedy is to protect the sys-
tenn against the toxic properties of the
bacill
After the discovery of tuberculin. DR..
Koch again turned his attention toward the
discovery of substance that should rem
der the system safe from the bactertum
itself. He had discovered in previous eX-
perments that the bacteria of the phthisis
consist Of two peculiar chemical compo-
nents which belong in the category of UNI
acids is soluble in dilute alcohol, and is
easily turned to soap by contact with
natrOn I've; the other is only soluble in pure
boiling alcohol or ether, and is very diff
cult to convert into soap. These fatty acids
are shown by microscopic examination to
form a cohesive and protective layer around
the bacillus that prevents It's absorption
For some time the various attempts to de-
stroy this protective coating failed utterly
cit was only when the cultures were well
dried and beaten in a mortar for some time
that the number of baciln commenced to
decrease. To get rid Of those that remained
been beaten in the mortar in distilled water
and subjected it to the action of a power
full centrifugal separator. The products
obtained by this process were a white
opalescent and complete transparent fluid
which contains no bacili, and Shiny
vscOus sediment. This sediment Is sub
fn hn fYo n fTl1o1 as hn
and the above described process is repeated
until the entire sediment is dissolved into
a series of clear fluids Or. Koch expert
mented with the fluids obtained, first upon
animals and then upon human beings, and
found that the first fluid possessed differ
ent qualities from the fluids that had been
obtained by a repetition of the treatment
in the centrifugal separator, all OF which
possessed identical qualities.
THE fluid that has been subjected to the
centrifugal separator once is designated by
DIR. Koch as tuberculin O or To- The diff
ferent fluids obtained by repetitions of the
original process are designated tuber-
culn r or TR.
1.-The properties of tuberculin o are ex-
tremely similar to those of tubercle anti
toxin except that it causes no abscesses.
Tuberculin r has the important property
of rendering the system safe from the dir
ferent components of the bacillus of con-
sumption. DR.. Koch insists that, owing to
the importance of this quality Of TR, he
has demonstrated ii beyond the peradven-
ture of a doubt by a great number of ex-
stances necessary to render the system safe
from the bacillus of phthisis would seem
to be established by the fact that q person
who has been rendered immune to TR is
not affected by large doses of ordinary
tuberculin.
In order to produce any curative effect
with tuberculin, tubercule anti-toxin, or
TO it is essential that the patient should
react but this is not the case with TR.
Reactions can be produced, but they are
not essential to the therapeutic effects of
TR, and DR. Koch states that he has en-
deavored to avoid their occurrence by com
mencing with small doses. which are grad
ually increased. In this way the system is
rendered safe from TR, and, according to
the belief of DR.. Koch, to the bacillus of
tuberculosis.
INJECTED INTO THE BACK.
1.-The use of the preparation, as advised
by Dr. KOCH is extremely simple. 1t is in
jected in the back hypodermically in the
same manner as the original tuberculine.
The fluid contains ten milligrams (0154
grain) of solid substance per cubic cent?
meter, and is prepared for use by dilution
with a solution of chloronatrium (physio-
logischer Kocksalzlosung) The first dose
is only one fve-hundredth of a milLgram,
which is so small that it is exceptional if
any reaction is produced: if it should be-
ii is necessary to dilute the dose still more.
The injections should be made every second
day, the dose being so gradually increased
as to avoid any rise of temperature greater
than half a degree. Increase of tempera-
ture caused by the injections should be al