The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-06-13
CURE FOR CONSUMPTION
ANOTHER ALLEGED SPECIFIC
DISCOVERED.
1t is Uric Acid, the Supposed Cause of
Gout and Rheumatism-Wha Its Dis
coverer Says.

The latest announced specific for tub
erculOsis, according to an exchange the
discovery of DR.. Henry Harper,
an English physician, is in sew
eral respects an unusually promis-
ing one. 1t is uric acid, a nor
NAL secretion of the animal body, but
one which under Gel tam abnormal con-
ditiOns of eXCessi, c secretion, itself
gives rise to dangerous diseases. 1t
is famous in tn history of organic
chemistry as beng the first product
of the animal yody to be made arti-
ficially by a purely chemical process
| The reasoning which led DR.. Harper to
trial of it explains very clearly the
way In which is curative effects are
produced and the reasons why the
discovery is more promising than
any of it's predecessors.
He first noted the fact that despite
the undoubted value of fresh, pure air
in the treatment of consumption,
many of his cases came from the
country. In connection with this
fact it occurred to him that it was
somewhat curious that the vegetarian
animals which are normally out of
doors all the time were especially
prone to the disease, while flesh-eat-
ing animals, such as cats and dogs,
are not nearly so subject to it. Again
he had observed that his equity or
rheumatic families were rarely af-
fected with tuberculosis disease, while
the families in which consumption
was hereditary were as a rule large
vegetable and fruit consumers. He
noted that the negro and the monkey,
both especially liable to the disease,
were largely vegetable eaters. He
found on record several cases where
severe inter-current attack of govt
had either arrested or permanently
cured cases of tuberculosis.
Govt and rheumatism are thought
to be due to an excessive production
of uric acid in the body, which pro-
duction is increased by meat-eating
The inference DR.. Harper drew from
these observations was that uric acid
is poison, sort of antitoXin to the
tuberculosis germ, and that the reason
why cows and rabbits and negroes
are so sensitive to the attack of the
germ is because their food leads to
a comparatively low production of uric
acid, while the freedom from the dis
ease of the flesh-eating animals and of
equity and rheumatic people is due to
the large production of uric acid in
their systems. He observed too, that
| an essential part of the new sanitarium
treatment of consumption is a diet eX-
tremely rich in meats and other food
productive of uric acid, and as much of
it as the patient can eat without diges-
| tive disturbance. 1t seemed to him
that a much simpler method would be
to give the uric acid itself. So he OBJ
tanned some of the pure drug, or urea,
and began using it cautiously in scruple
doses, four times a day, on one of his
consumptive patients. 1t was given
hypodermically and in conjunction with
| the regular remedies, which had, how
ever up to this time produced no bene-
| fit The treatment was begun on June
rs, 1899, and continued with gradually
increasing doses up to Sept 10, when the
man was practically we'll, This was so
encouraging that the urea was tried on
! other patients, nine in all having been
! treated up to this time.
"All were indisputably tuberculosis
| cases." says DR.. Harper. This fact
was confirmed by microscopic eXamin-
alton of the saliva, and nearly all were
hopelessly bad cases, such as 1 have
| never before seen to show any signs of
improvement" The result was a COM
! plete cure in some cases and a great i'm
proYement in most of the others.