The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-24
CONSUMPTION,
It's Treatment by a Celebrated French
Doctor

Its Treatment by a Celebrated French
Doctor.
I have just had long conversation
with Professor Armand Gautier, men,
Der of the Institute of France and pro-
fessor of chemistry at the Faculty of
Medicine of Paris, on the subject of the
new treatment for consumption invent
ed by him not quite three years ago.
The great doctor, who is a typical
| French savant, and has to perfection
the latter's delightful courtesy in man
ner and admirable lucidity in the ex-
PLANTATION Of a scientific subject, very
obligingly volunteered to expound
briefly his own method to me for the
readers of the Daily Telegraph, and at
the same time to give me a concise ex-
pose of the more general question of
the treatment of phthisis by arsenic.
Before reproducing-as far as possible
in his own words, for no others could be
clearer or more to the point-the NINA
ture conference" which the learned
professor was good enough to deliver in
his study this morning to an audience
consisting only of your correspondent, J.
must succinctly state the position &C.
cupied by M Gautier's method with re-
gard to other arsenical treatments of
phthisis, particularly that adopted by
DIR. Hoff of Vienna. The facts aye that
the French professor has broken abso-
lutely new ground, and has been work.
ing on entirely new lines for over two
years and half past His method
bears no relation to that of DR.. Hoff,
apart, of course, from the bare fact of
the administration Of arsenic, which in
itself Is not q discovery, but practice
as old as the hills. Nor does the real
difference between the two treatments
| lie In the actual manner in which the
| arsenic is administered to the patient,
although 1t is a fact that NJ Gautier
contrary to Dr. Hoff's method, pre-
scribes hypodermic injections only, and
never preconises assimilation of his
drug by the digestive organs.
The essential distinction which differ
entiates the French professors method
from all others is the nature of the ar
senical compound which he admins
tiers. This is cacodylic acid, discovered
by the great German chemist Runsen
sixty years ago. M. Gautier was the
first, upward Of three years since, to
think Of applying this drug to the
treatment Of consumption. In the use
of this organic compound of arsenic lies
the whole secret of NJ Gautier's meth
cd, and the secret Of the efficacy Of the
substance itself Is that it is the only
form of arsenic which is safely assimi-
LA H. ,e4A, T,,{ f,,f nf
senious acid the poison can only be CIV
en- in minute doses, and even then, as
will appear from M Gautier's figures
below, proves harmful to the great ma
jority of persons. Thus, though the
curative powers of arsenic have been
known, or at least suspected, from time
immemorial, they have never hitherto
been turned to full account, owing to
the invincible obstacle of the refusal of
the system to assimilate 1t. But Bun
sens compound has been proved by M.
Gautier beyond the shadow of a doubt
to be absolutely innoeuous. In the
form, therefore, of cacodylic acid, ar
senic can now be administered safely In
sufficient quantities to prove an eff
cient agent against consumption. In
brief, M Gautier's method continues
the ancient practice Of arsenical treat
ment of phthisis. But the all-impor-
tant and essential innovation which he
has introduced has been to administer
the drug in q form which had never
been before tried in this sense, and
which has been found to be an admira
bly, efficacious remedy. AS often hap !
pens, what would have seemed at first |
to the unscientific mind a minor i'm
provement of q method in a mere mat |
ter of detail has turned out to be a /
wonderful discovery. entirely revolu-
Honizing the therapeutic treatment of |
q dread disease.
Professor Gautier to whom | had |
communicated the articles /
on the subject Of DR. Hoffs cure in the |
Daily Telegraph, reads English very
WE'LL so that when I called this morning |
| found him to have completely mas
tered the contents of my cuttings Efe
said that he would willingly give me
any information on the subject, but
would first like to know whether I was
a doctor. Replying in the negative, [
asked him to be good enough to shape
his explanation of his method accord
ingly. Beginning at once. he pointed
out that the use of arsenic in various
such as malaria and consump-
ton, was an ancient practice The
Greeks treated certain maladies by adj
the residue powders of cop
pr smelling furnaces, and these pow
1ers are now known to be chiefly arsen-
ical The potency of the metalloid, he
continued, has always been recognized,
but the great difficulty has been that it
Is not supported by the system. Not
i've persons in one hundred tolerate ar
senic, even In the minutest doses M.
Gautier's attention was drawn to the
of arsenical treatment of
ohthisis in particular by the studies of
he medical schools Of Pisa and Lyons
IN the subject. But it was not till four
years ago that the idea occurred to him
If the innovation which has proved so
important.
USES OF CACODYLIC ACID.
Cacodylic acid, discovered by the late
chemist Bunsen, in 1912, had never been
made use of In medicine. NJ Gauter
bought of applying it at first for the
treatment of skin diseases, and recon-
nended it some six or seven years ago
o a colleague at st. Louis hospital,
Who tried the compound with some sue
acc in 40 cos pf rcOpip ci paznD1o and