The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-30
CASE is NOT PROVEN
DIR. oHAGE REVIEWS DIR. KOCH's
FAMOUS PAPER ON TUBER-
CUL0sIS
EXPERIMENTS ARE NECESSARY
For the Present Unsafe to Assume
That Bovine Tuberculosis Is
Not Communicable to
Human Beings.

Health Commissioner Ohage does not
| consider that Prof. Koch has conclu-
s1Yely demonstrated the non-communica-
biiity of cattle tuberculosis to human be-
lngs, and for The present he is of the
opinion that it IS better to err on the safe
side and maintain all reasonable precau-
lions against the possibility of tubercu-
losis being communicated to human be-
1ngs by the agency of the flesh or milk
of tuberculous cattle.
Inc DOCTOR has furnished the G b e
with the following criticism of such por-
tons of Dr. Koch's much discussed paper
as nave been made public on this side Of
the Atiantic
Iro1. Koch. in his paper on tubercu-
IoslS' mas evidently proven, as far as
one can see from the extracts, that it is
not easy or perhaps impossible to COM
Inuhlcate human tuberculosis to cattle, in
All experimental way. For this reason
ne disputes the identity of cattle and
human tuberculosis, although he himself
dlscovered the tuberculosis bacillus and
admits that the cattle disease is a true
tupefcular one in its effect and anatomi-
cal characteristics
a part OF his early experiments to prove
the Identity of the bacillus tuberculosis
consisted in Injecting sDutum..:nto small
er animals, which readily acquired the
disease.
His present experiments were made on
larger animals (cattle) and took the ma
Lure of feeding sputum etc. to those for
months at time. The autopsy failed to
reveal the disease. 1t must be renem-
bered that certain animals are immune
70 certain drugs and certain diseases
W ny not the cow to tuberculosis nodi-
ned by its habitat in the human being {?
But this does not at all prove that the
reverse is the case-that tuberculous
being. or
We would consider it a very unsafe
pasls TO work on, and when Koch adj
mlts that che is not certain, as expert
mehts on human beings are out of the
queSllOH'
NOT PROVED FOR THE PRESENT.
The fact remains that the bacilli in
Dotn animal and man are so closely al
lied in shape, growth and staining reac-
ton as to- be mdistinguiShable and we
believe with Others that many expensive
series OF experiments must be carried
out to prove Prof. Kochs case. We
must necessarily reserve our comment on
the paper until we have seen it in full
only having had extracts from it so far
put SO Tar we are safe to say: First,
that humdn tuberculosis is difficult to
communicate to cattle; second, that bo-
VINE tuberculosis is much more virulent
ana active than human third, that no
proof has been Offered that bovine tu-
befcuiosis is not communicable to man
1t rather seems that bovine tuberculosis
pelng more virulent than human, as
SHOWN by Prof. Koch in his article it
should be more dangerous to man; and
TINS seems to be proven by the pre-
pohoerance of evidence by professional
men all over the world, and until there
should be more proof of Prof Koch's as
ScrtlOn. of the non-communicabilitv of
cattle tuberculosis to man it would Ger
fanny De better to err on the safe side.
.Ffof; Koch furnishes the proof again in
ms paper that cattle tuberculosis is high
~ contagious to cattle (not to say any,
tnlng or mann and hence for the protec-
tlon OF the cattle owners the good work
OF inspection of dairy herds and the de
Struction of tubercular cattle Should keen
on. - - - -. -.
Furthermore, it is we'll to bear in mind
tnat the inhalation or ingestion of tuber
Gle bacilh by healthy individuals is harm
less, but where they come in contact with
diseased mucous surfaces they will cause
infection (tuberculosis).
j. Ohage, NJ. D.
The medical profession in this city IS,
in the main, inclined to agree with DR.
Ohage, and there is not a doctor of
known standing in St. Paul who will go
so far as to unhesitatingly declare his
.acquiescence with the announced views
of the famous German professor. All think
long series of experiments is necessary
to settle the question
One who studied under Prof Koch said:
ut takes the Germans to evolve theories
and the Americans to apply them.
think much light will soon be thrown on
the subject through the eXeriments which
are sure to- be made in laboratories all
over the country