Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-30
GREAT AID IN DIAGNOSIS
Vaccination of Children Attended
With No Danger, He Asserts.
ESSENTIAL TO TREATMENT
Head of Children's Hospital Explains
Methods-His Declarations Sup
ported by DR.. Won Pirquet.

Are charity children being substituted
for guinea pigs and rabbits in the So
called tuberculosis tests at the Children
Hospital?
This question was I'll sec today by lay
men who had read of tine n ne little IA
llents of the institution who Lad been
inoculated with the bacilli of tuberculo-
sis by DR.. Detre of Budapest
The query was propounded this after
noon to DR.. G. n. Acker, physician in
charge Of the Children's Hospital. by a
reporter for the Star.
In answer to the query, he said:
No"
Then in explanation of the inc culation
of the children he explained that what DIR.
Detre did to the little charity patients
was similar to the tuberculin tests in
cows"
This test" DR.. Acker continued, SIS
commonly employed in hospitals. and has
been employed in the Children's Hospital
from time to time since the test has been
known to confirm the diagnosis of tuber-
culosis.
There are three tests One is known
as the Chalmette test. the tuberculin be-
ing put in the eye of the subject. Then
there is the Won Pirquet test. which was
made this afternoon at the hospital, the
tuberculin being used on the surface Of
the skin the same as in vaccination.
1.-The third is the Detree test. which
was made at the hospital Monday The
latter is made to distinguish between the
bovine and human tuberculosis. both hu-
man and bovine bacillus being employed.
DIR. Koch holds that bovine tuber-
culosis cannot be transmitted to human
beings.
THE tests made here were to determine
whether the child has bovine or human
tuberculosis. 1t is not, in fact. test. but
is diagnostic in character. and is dis
tinctly for the benefit of the patient.
The so-called tests are similar to the
diagnosis for typhoid fever by the vidal
reaction-that is. in cases of typhoid some
of the blood of the patient is taken for
examinat ton"
Dr. Acker also said that one of the
woman nurses Of the Childrens Hospital
today voluntarily requested DR.. Won
Pirquet to inoculate her by his system.
The request was complied with.
Determines Nature Of Disease.
The point to be gained by the Won Pr
quet and Detre tests. DR.. Acker said. Is to
determine whether a person contracted
tuberculosis of the bovine variety
through drinking milk and eating meat.
or whether through the human agency of
a tuberculosis patient. This is important
from Koch's statement that the disease
could not be contracted from the lower
animals. and that it was not. therefore.
necessary to boil the milk consumed by
people.
Won Pirauet are in reality part Of the
treatment for consumption" DR.. Acker
continued. "All patients suspected Of
having tuberculosis that are received at
the Children's Hospital in the future will
have one of the tests applied.
We consider ourselves under the great
est obligation to Drs. Detre and Won
Pirquet''
DR.. Won Pirquet was next seen by The
Star reporter. In reply to interrogatories
he said:
These so-called tests are only dag
noses. In Berlin we make them thou
sands of times to find out the tuberculosis
subjects. Having found them out We
1T does not injure them at all. We
apply 1t to kindergarten scholars in Ger
many and when we find children suffer-
ing from tuberculosis we segregate them. :"
DR.. Won Pirquet said it was also en-
ployed in the public schools OF Germany.
and he has frequently applied the test
to his own arm.
Results Of Tests.
DR.. Acker said the tests of Monday by
r. Datv xo1o CHI hot ~
the children who were inoculated have
bovine infection. Others have mixed bo-
vine and human tuberculosis and still
others have only human consumption.
This is regarded as highly important in
formation to the medical profession.
About 100 physicians. foreign and Amer
lean. witnessed the tests at the Children 8
Hospital by DIR. Clemens Won Pirquet Of
Vienna this afternoon. Some of the sub
jects were colOred tots Those DR.. Depre
inoculated were all white children.