The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-10-09
STIRRED BY CURE
OF WHITE PLAGUE
Physicians and Public Interested
Deeply in Behring's Possible
Remedy.
Journal Special Service.

New York, Oct. "a great stir has
been caused in New York by Professor
Behring's announcement to the interna-
tional tuberculosis congress at Paris,
Of positive cure for, consumption.
The medical profession here is aroused
as it has never been since Professor
Koch gave his tuberculin. to the world a
ly heralded then as consumption cure,
has since fallen into disuse for that pur-
pose, being now mainly employed for de-
termining the presence Of consumption
in animals.
The "gTeat white plague' now sweeps
away more than 10000 lives every
year in New York. Nearly 10000
new cases were reported to the health Of
6cials in 1904 The public and the
tensely interested in progress toward a
cure.
Several conflicting reports of Profes.
sor Behring's cure have been received
here.
What Is the ''Cure?''
According to latest advices from
Paris, Behring says that his cure is not
a serum or vaccine, but curative prin-
ciple entirely different from that Of
antitoxin.
"This new curative principle,' he
said to the congress, "plays an essential
role in the operation Of the immunity
derived from bovine vaccine, which has
proved effective against animal tuber-
culosis during the last few years. This
curative principle reposes upon the i'm
pregnation Of the living cells Of the or
ganism into a substance originating
from tuberculosis virus
Behring, in signed statement, says:
"Exaggeration Of my statements
with regard to the cure for tuberculosis
continues to grow. Therefore I am
have the exact truth stated at once in
the United States, where I have many
friends among the foremost scientists
of the country. I have said that I be.
lieved I would be shortly in a position
to announce the definite possession of q
formula, which will successfully com
bat the disease, but I. have not saio
that the last necessary steps have been
taken, nor that I propose to withhold
the details Of the formula until I have
received pecuniary gain.''
The New York idea. ~,..
DR.: Smith Ely Jelliffe, editor of the
: Medical News, said today that, from
all he believed, Professor Behring in
tended to treat cpnsumptives with pow
der derived from the milk of cows
which had been rendered immune tt
consumption. This is the idea con
veyed also by Professor Metzikoff il
his cabled description of the cure
Z "Whichever Of the two ideas of hi!
cure is correct,' said DR.. Jelliffe
"there is nothing radically new il
either. It is most probable that Beh
ring has merely refined or elaborated
his views expressed by him in pam
phlet eighteen months or SO ago.
"Behring and Koch are arrayet
against each other on the question al
to the transmission Of tuberculosis from
cows to human beings.
CIT was long believed that all tn,
bacilli of tuberculosis, whether fount
in man or beast, was Of the same kind
Several years ago Koch advanced tn
theory that, altho the bacilli were tn
same, they had become so differentiate,
by environment that they had no longe
the power to transmit the disease from
man, for instance, to the cow.
>"Behring opposed the Koch theory
holding that consumption was transmits
sible between men and COWS. The gen
eral opinion here, think, is that, Will
consumption is intercommunicable be
tween human beings and cows, it is no
commonly so transmitted.
Gin his pamphlet, Behring outline
his view that the milk of an immun
cow contained antituberculosis proper
ties. If this is correct an essentia
powder from the cows milk woul
logically transmit to the human bein
the antituberculous principle