New-York tribune., 1903-02-26
DR 1oEB,s LATEST DISCOVERY

A preliminary account of some researches or
DR.. Jacques Loeb. conducted before he left Chi
cago for Berkeley. Cal. is printed by THE Uni
versitv Press of the former city. These be-
long to the domain of physiological chemistry,
and If not so sensational as those which were
imputed to him year or two ago, may IN tme
prove equally important. AS the result OF re-
cent study DR.. Loeb concludes that the witch
ing of muscles in St. Vitus's dance is due to a
lack of the proper amount of calcium in the
patient's blood or to not being present in a con-
ditfon OF solution. Thus, by injecting into
frog some chemical agent which would precip1-
tate or neutralze the calcium already there one
of the biologists assistants induced the symp-
toms in question. Then these were allayed by
injecting more calcium A larger quantity of
that element, the Doctor says seems TO be
necessary for twitchings that arise from dis
order of the central nervous system than from
those which have purely muscular origin; but
he believes that he has found a clew to the
effective treatment not only of the malady
specified. but also of insomnia. locomotor ataxia
and kindred troubles, which as yet battle med
ical skill.
Like every other alleged scientific discovery
this will need corroboration by independent and
competent experts before it can be accepted
The world does not now implicitly trust any one
investigator or observer, matter how gifted
experienced and honest. The manner in which
Dr. Barrows's announcement concerning form
ain and blood poisoning mas been treated by
his professional brethren illustrates the point
In practically all kinds of scientific inquiry
there are possibilities of error in method and
misinterpretation of facts. Repetition of the
experiments by others and perhaps the exten-
sion Of their scope necessary before their
significance can be fully grasped. Some OF DR..
Loeb's own work indeed has been susceptible
of more than one explanation, and it has oc-
casionally been suggested that he had failed to
exclude other agencies which would produce
the effects which he assigned to chemical stinn-
ulus.
His theory concerning the relation between
calcium and healthy nervous conditions is not
incredible, though. Many of the ills to which
flesh is heir are unquestonably produced by an
excess of one set Of elements or a deficiency
of another in the blood. Since that state of
things is often traceable to the quality or guam
tity of the sufferers food and drink. the at
tempt has repeatedly been made to correct the
trouble by changes of diet alone. The expert
ment has occasionally proved successful, too.
Whether the end is attained by this means or
by medicine whose chemical composition es-
tablshes n proper proportion between the iD-
gradients of the blood, the principle would be
the same. IL DR.. Loeb's proposed line of treat
ment the latter apparently has fresh appl-
cation. The idea itself is not unreasonable.
The announcement comes in form. moreover,
which will predispose critical readers in its
favor It emanates from the doctor himself.
The public is not treated to a confusing mkt
ure of fact and speculation by enthusiastic
magazine writer's who do not fully understand
his work. In consequence the additional details
which are promised in future paper will be
awaited by rational people much more eagerly
than would otherwise have been the case.