The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1904-08-11
To Save the Stomach.


In the usual treatment of tubercu-
losis, or consumption, the assertion is
often made that the disease might be
cured by medicines if the system did
not wear out first. The trouble is that
the same medicines that kill the dis
ease and it's germ often kill the patient
first. Creosote is used with success in
many cases, but it more frequently
uses up the stomach and bowels before
the disease in the lungs yields to the
treatment. So with the treatment of
many other diseases by medicine the
stomach is exposed to too much dan
ger.
It may be argued that this is mat
ter to be discussed by medical Jour-
mails and by professional men. But
the people do not read medical Jour-
mails and the prevalence of the ''great
white plague is the greatest curse in
the world. If it is to be eradicated it
is necessary that the general public
should be educated in regard to it's
causes and it's cure.
At a recent meeting of the Berlin
Medical association, Professor Jacob,
head physician of the charity depart
ment, described a new method, in
vented by himself. for the treatment of
consumption of the lungs. This in
vention was the result of the observa-
ton on his part that in the great ma
jority of cases medication was useless
because only rarely was the seat of
the disease-the lungs-reached by the
medicaments. Professor Jacob chose
the method of direct injection of the
medication into the. lungs. In pre-
viOus experiments he had demonstrated
that the method might be successfully
applied in the treatment of brain and
spinal diseases. but before proceeding
to try the method in cases of human
tuberculosis he demonstrated, by a
wide series of experiments on animals,
that the animals bore the treatment
very satisfactorily. It is claimed that
the technique of the method is very
simple and that it is capable of being
applied by every physician who is
familiar with the laryngoscope At
ter the larynx and windpipe have been
rendered insensible by means Of CO.
caine, a small rubber tube is intro
duced through the mouth, throat,
larynx, and windpipe directly into the
lungs. The operation is borne very
we'll by the patient. Then, by means
OF small syringe, the medication
is expelled through the tube into the
lungs, the whole procedure requiring
ten minutes.
Professor Jacob found that the most
effective solution is the old tuber-
culine that was applied thirteen years
ago by Professor Koch, the medication
second in efficacy being creosote. By
this method Professor Jacob succeeded
in completely destroying the bacilli
in the lungs in from four to eight
weeks.
The administration of strong and
poisonous medicines through the
stomach in order to reach disease in
the lungs and other sections of the
body has always seemed irrational
and unwise to many physicians, and
yet they were compelled to resort to it
because they could find no better way.
Professor Jacobs discovery may re-
suit in the saving of many lives of
consumptives that otherwise might be
sacrificed because the stomachs of the
patients are unable to withstand the
ravages of medicines strong enough to
eradicate the disease.-Duluth Herald
End OF Bitter Fight.