Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-14

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derm.c injections of a certain saline So
luton, and afterward had %ecourse to de-
f%brenated bullock's blood. in the form of
bovinine. which was very promising. l
then lost sight of my patient for some
months, and as he had %relaosed some
what, and was in more advanced stages,
I began experiments with the venom of
the coprerhead and the rattlesnake,
which were highly satisfactory.
THE western cases were fo; the most
part among Danes and Swedes, some
Mexioans and an occasional Malay or
Chinaman. The Mexicars had taken the
scourge from Hindoo sailors who came
hither soma 30 years ago. India is now
rated second on the list of leper infested
countries, there being no less than 210, 900
lepers from the H.malayas to the south
point. For the most part the expert
ments with these were successful, and
could I have had the patients in their in
cipient stages / should have met with an
undoubted triumph.
ut was DIR. Bardoni. of Turin, who first
discovered the bacillus of leprOsy-a pen
Gil shaped microbe resembling that of
tuberculosis, but having one end thicker
than the other. and inclosed in a sheath
or cell. This sheath may account for It's
amazing longevity. for not even the hac-
illus of tetanus has a greater power OF
surviving under all conditions. DR.. Bar
dOni and others attempted to cure lep.
rosy by incubation, but after some years
of experiment the idea was given up, tho
result not j%ustifying the effort. Where
the soil is adapted to the culture leprosy
will flourish amazingly, but in blood that
is strangely proof against the leprous
bacillus ;noculation is useless.
I'm India a MANNED man is an o%utcast;
and so dreaded is leprosy that according
to Hindu law and more potent custom
among the fanatical hill tribes, a man
SH-1o 1no po,yocr IN fIn ,~o!s NJ ~ mr.
has the honorable alternative of suf-
fering himself to be buried alive and as
cending to the realm of the gods, where he
is purified and survives in everlasting
bliss, or he can suffer himself to be bitten
by the deadly groove-fanged Naji tripu-
dams, or cobra of fame. This is done with
the hope that on recovery from the VEN
ON Of the snake the leprous signs will dis"
appear. Whichever method is employed
1T is conducted with some considerable
ceremony and decOrum proper to an exc
cutiOn. In the latter case a fine young
cobra, CT a hooded, dusky hamadryad,
is taken from the jungle, starved and
prodded into fury. The leper thrusts out
his forearm and takes the full charge of
the deadly venom sac, and then proceeds
to fill himself with the most efficaclous in
toxicant at hand, generally the toddy
made from the bud of the cocanut, a most
speedy and lasting soporifc.
But what was thought to be a means
of suicide among the savage hill tribes of
India turned out to be a curious and note
worthy phenomenon. Three out of five
lepers recovered from the dreaded 1ep-
rosy, too. 1t is demonstrable on sc.entl-
fic grounds. The cobra venom is a subtle
fluid to which all animal life succumbs.
1t begins Immediately to destroy every
vital function, and so indestructible is it
|! that it may be boiled, frozen, mixed with
| corrosives, diluted or taken from the hun-
| dredth incubation, yet it survives all. 1t
is like curing like carried to the superla.
tive. Thus the bacillus OF deadly leprosy
succumbs to the deadlier venom of the
serpent, and that in turn yields to large
doses of alcohol.
1.-THE treatment is far from infallible,
but with proper food. care and exercise of
professional Judgment, there is no reason
| why, the standard should not show 80
per cent Of successes, if the leDrous pa
F! tients can be discovered and treated in the
inc:pient stages Those upon whom l
! nave operated with the serum of deadly
serpents, have been too far advanced in
the disease to derive permanent benetit;
! but several new cases have been reported
to me in various parts Of the country and
I shall either personally, or through my
assistants proceed Immediately with
these experiments. Professional COL
leagues also are at work in various parts
of the world, and I am in communication
with them on this most important scien-
tiic problem of the age. We hope for
speedy and satisfactory results