The Newark journal., 1902-06-06
POIS0N~XS. CONSUMPTION.
Remarkable Results from Injection of
 Formic Aldehyde.

Formic Aldehyde,
 Is successful war being waged on consumption by poison? The sayants have been experimenting lately in an entirely new direction in their search for a cure for the disease, and with such results as to raise the highest hopes The tubercular bacilli are be- ing poisoned in the lungs by an in- genious injection of q solution of formic aldehyde, and in many cases already, it is stated, absolute cures have been effected. Patients who were once regarded as consumptives of the most hopeless class have, fol- lowing the treatment, been accepted by life insurance companies as first class lives"
 The inventor of the new treatment, according to the London Mail, is Dr Robert Mcguire, the consumptiye spe- eialist and physician to the Brompton hospital. Some timeago Dr. Mcguire determined to attack the bacilli in new way. The antiseptics hitherto used had 10 be so mild as not to in- iure the stomach, where they under went such further diIution as to be practically worthless. So with hypo- dermic injections; while pricking the lungs was risky and not 10 be too often repeated. Dr. Mcguire there upon decided on injection into the veins, and after lengthy and anxious search he selected formic aldehyde as the injection The hole in the punctured vein near the elbow is so small that it voluntarily heals up without treatment after each opera ton.
 The solution of one in 170,000 of l formic aldehyde Is fatal to the tuber- cular bacilli If, then, such a solu- ton can be introduced into the blood vessels and the lungs sluiced with if, the cure is apparently accomplished. But would the heart stand the poison? l. was found that an original solu- ton of one in 2,000, which was re- duced by assimilation to one in 100,- GOO on reaching the right ventrcle, could be freely employed, while solu- tions of one in 1000 and one in 500 have been used with perfect safety. The lungs are impregnated for the space of about 9 heart beats, and in the great majority of experiments the effect has been pretty much what was expected. The solution is sure germicide, and the baeilli have been exterminated. The consumption spe- c}alists, remembering previous pre- mature conclusions, have proper re- luctance to calling anything a con- sumption cure until its efficacy is be- yond all doubt. TEere is, however, hardly any other word than "cure' to describe some of the results which have been achieved. In many cases, after only about six weeks or two months treatment at the most, such cavities as had been formed in the lungs had healed up. and every trace of the baciIli had disappeared. That Is to say, such a cure had been ef- fected that if the patient then submit ted himself to another medical man ignorant of what had taken place the latter would indubitably declare that the patient had never had consump- tion at all. Take an instance, one of the most remarkable imaginable. Some time ago a young-man, bank clerk, came for Dr. Maguire's treat ment Hewas in one of the last stages of consumption. In less than two months from that date there was not trace of consumption aboa. him, and, most convincing tes: of all, he was accepted by an Insurance office as first-class life!