The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-06-15
Consumption Cure At Last

It is truly remarkable that al
though the germ Of tuberculosis
was identified a generation ago
and has been exhaustively studi-
ed by scientific men all over the
world ever since, no specific rene
|dy for this most destructive, most
widely prevalent among diseases
has ever been found. Hopes have
been excited by announcements
from eminent psychologists, IN
Guiding the discoverer Of the tuber
culosis germ, DR.. Robert Kosb
himself; but always with com
plete disappointment In the end.
Diphtheria, cerebro-spinal menin-
gifts and various other diseases
have had their deadliness enor-
mously decreased by the use of APP
propriate anti-toxins designed to
cure or produce immunity on the
principle which vaccination for
smallpox has made familiar; but
beginning with Koch's "tubercu-
linz all such preparations for tub
erculosis were discredited long ago
except, sometimes, as aids to dag
nosis. Nor has it been found in the
least to do with drugs what the
newer science of ba~cteriology
could not accomplish CreoN
sote for tuberculosis was never,
apparently, anything more than a
superstition Of tuberculosis
cases not too far advanced a con-
siderable proportion have Ircvld
durable, but solely by such natu-
raj means as outdoor liyuug, .nns-
plete rest and nourishing food.
It meant the saving of many lives
to learn this and to war against
the spread of Infection, but other
wise scientific study of the great
tuberculosis problem has been al
most without result.
As the latest supposed remedy
for tuberculosis the world is told
that DR.. de Szendeffy of Budapest
has discovered a new drug com
bination which some of Europo's
highest authorities upon the dis
ease . after experimenting for
several years, pronounce extreme
ly valuable. This preparation is
composed of peptonized iodine
with a little menthol and radium
barium chloride Iodine, the
chief ingredient, has long been
known to exert upon tubercuio-
sis marked curative tendencies,
which, unfortunately, were more
than offset by undesirable effects.
1t has been supposed hat iodine
would prove to be highly valu-
able in tuberculosis cases if only
some suitable means of admins
tering the. drug could be found:
and many workers have sought
to do what DR.. de Szendeffy is
now said to have done. Of
course, the Hungarian doctor and
the other tuberculosis experts
mentioned being reputable scien-
tiic men, there is nothing secret
about the new drug.
When a number Of physicians
of the highest ability and stand
ing, operating independently c.
each other at great distances apart
and during a period of several
years agree that Gin all eases
with out exception marked i'm
provement occurred" even the
threefold skepticism which new
Consumption cures" must just
ly encounter is bound to weaken
somewhat. 1t is particularly no
table that the Hungarian scien-
fist refrained from making his
discovery public-from raising
more false hopes-until thorough
and prolonged test by other men
in other countries had been made.
Very possibly a valuable specific
for tuberculosis, though, of course
not any absolute or infallible
cure, has been found at last. If
so, a grateful world will never
forget the discovers name
Charlotte Observer.