Evening star., 1901-07-29
wYETH OPPOSES KOCH.
Reasons for Dissenting From the
Specialists Conclusions.


A special to the New York Tribune from
Long Branch, N. j., last night says: DR..
John A. Wyeth, president Of the American
Medical Association, in speaking tonight
of the theory recently put forward by Prof.
Koch, In London that tuberculosis is not
communicable to human beings by eating
the meat or drinking the milk of tubercu-
lous cows, said:
Notwithstanding the reports that Prof.
Koch stated that bovine tuberculosis is
not transmissible to man, we should not
cease to take all precautions to destroy the
bacilli that are found in milk and peer.
1t Is by no means proven by DR.. koch or
any one else that this TRANSMISSION OF the
disease is impossible. Moreover, 1t Is the
general belief and opinion of the best ex-
perts and investigators In this department
of medical science that milk from tuber-
culous cows is dangerous source OF in
fection to human beings, especially to chill
dren of low resistance.
Dr. Koch is reported to have based his
opinion in part, on the fact that primary
tuberculosis Of the intestines is extremely
rare and that in large number of post
mortems made in Berlin he had seen only
two or three subjects in which primary
tuberculosis had occurred In the intes-
tines.
Every practitioner Of large chemical ex-
perience knows that tuberculosis infection
is very common from the mouth and ton
way into the system through minute abra-
sions or raw surfases which are exceeding
ly common on the gums and lining men,
brane of the mouth tongue and tonsils.
From these points the germs pass into the
lymphatics and cause the swollen glands
or Jumps so frequently seen under the jaws
and along the sides of the neck in children
thus infected. 1t is therefore not necessa-
ry for the germs to pass into the stomach
and intestines in order to affect a lodg-
ment
1t is gratifying to observe the great in
terest the public is taking In this question
stroys more lives every year than any
other ten of the Ills flesh is heir to. The
expectorated matter from consumptives is
without doubt the greatest means of
spreading this disease, and since strict
laws have been passed in New York city
forbidding expectoration In public convey
ances in that city the death rate from tu-
berculosis has been very materially re-
duced. If these same laws could be en-
forced to prevent expectoration on the
sidewalks and in the streets a much
greater benefit would be derived The best
results however, cannot be obtained until
the people in general are educated to the
necessity Of these precautions.
The law now requires that a physician
shall report to the board Of health every
case Of tuberculosis These patients should
at once be impressed with the danger OF
the spread Of their disease to others as the
result Of their splitting on the sidewalks or
IN the StTeets, 1or Inc matter eXpectOrated
is loaded with bacilli, which are hard to
kill and which are blown about in the dust
Of the streets and carried by inspiration
into the nostrils, mouths and lungs of
those not yet infected.
If they would use a cheap gauze cloth or
handkerchief, expectorating into this and
carrying it home to be destroyed by boiling
or burning all the germs would be killed
Both the American Medical Association
which meets in Saratoga in June. 1902 and
the New York State Medical Association,
which holds Its annual meeting in Octo-
ber, 1901, at the Academy of Medicine.
New York city, will take action upon this
most important Of all subjects, especially
with view OF appealing to the public at
large to aid the medical profession in their
efforts to completely eradicate this most
pernicious and destructive disease,
In my opinion, another century will not
pass without seeing consumption relegated
to the category of diseases which have
ceased to destroy the human race