The Ordway new era., 1908-10-09
INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS sy
RESOLUTION coNTRovERrs
DR.. kocH's THEORY
ROOSEVELT ON PANAMA
WORK OF MEDICAL EXPERTS HAS
ALMOST CHANGED isTHMus
INTO A sANiTARlum.

WashinGton.-A signal victory was
won Saturday by the opponents of the
theory advaiced by DIR. Robert Koch,
the eminent German scientist. mInimiz.
ing the danger of human Infection
from bovine ,ubercule bacilli, when the
SIKH triennial International Congress-
on tuberculosis. just before final ad-
Journment. placed itself squarely on
record In op. osition to the views of
the German :.avant.
Tho | Idy by unanimous vote
adopted resolution recognizing the
possibility" of human infection from
inc bovine tubercula bacilli. The text
OF the resolution is as follows:
Resolved. That the utmost efforts
Shonid be continued in the struggle
against tuberculosis to prevent the
conveyance IRON man to man of tuber-
culosis Infection, as the most impor-
tant sources Of the disease
That preventive measures be con-
tlnued against bovine tuberculosis and
that the possibility of the propagation
OF this to man be recognized
The action OF the congress on this
noteworthy issue. 1t Is thought, will
for the time being. put n quietus to
further agitation. at least until the next
{ meeting of the congress In Rome in
1911. This scientific battle has been
waged with great vieor ever since DIR.
Koch advanced his doctrine Mt the Lon
don congress on tuberculosis In 1901.
An entirely unexpected. but one OF
the most pleasant surprises OF
the closing scenes OF the con.
eress was the appearance for the first
time during its proceedings OF Presi.
dent Roosevelt.
/ The Presidents appearance WAS
greeted with tremendous applause and
he delivered a characteristic address.
He said that in no other manifestation
of human activity had the changes
been quite so far reaching as In the
ability to grapplc with disease.
He spoke of the great changes
wrought in Panama since the United
States government had begun the
building OF the canal there.
when tho first railroad was built
across Panama." said the President,
at was said with some foundation of
truth. with but slight eXaggeration.
that Every sleeper laid cost the life
of a man. Now the work on the ca
nal. In that Identical place, is being
prosecuted on an infinitely larger
SCALE OF course. than the mere build
Ing of railroad. under conditions
which make the locality stand above
the ordinary locality in the United
States in point of health The 18TH
mus of Panama. which was by-word
for fatal disease. has become well-nigh
n sanitarium. and it has become so
because of the Investigations of GER
tain medical men Which enabled them
to find out the real causes of certain
discusses, especially yellow fever and
malarial fever, and to take measures
to overcome :hcm.'
President Roosevelt spoke of the pc
culiarly fatal and terrible disease. the
sleeping sickness, prevalent in Africa
which in one region had killed 2oo,ooo
out of 100000 inhabitants.
1.-THE chance to control that disease.
declared he. lies in the work of just
such men as. and indeed of some oi
the men who are assembled here. You
who have come here, however, nave
coma to combat not a scourge confined
to the tropics, but what is on the whole
the most terrible scourge of the people
throughout the world. But n few years
ago hardly IN intelligent effort was
made or could be made to war against
this peculiar deadly enemy OF the hu-
man race. The chance successfully
to conduct that war arose when tne
greatest experts In the medical worid
turned their trained intelligence TO
tho task. 1t remains for them to find
o,,t inst what can be done. The task
then will be for the representatives
Of the government TO give all possible
effect to this conclusion OF the scieh'
tific men,
The President declared that medical
scientists have shown just as much
heroism in the fight against tubercu-
iosis as ever was shown by soldier
on the field of battle, and In CLOSING
said: .,,o
az feel that no gathering could take
nlace fraught with greater hope lor
the welfare Of the people at large than
this assemblage." ..,.,,,
| Secretary of the Treasury Corteiyou ,'
, ,resided Mt the closing session. Inc
Closing sessions were marked by re, Re.
snonses ] by the representatives or
,b;rtv.tbree nations, reflecting the con.
fident hope that medical science VIII VII.
In tho not distant future triumph over
the scourge Of tuberculosis.