The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-22
FIRST STATEMENT
ISSUED REGARDING
TUBERCULOSIS CURE
The Government Will Make
Thorough Investigation
Before Passing on DIR.
Friedmann's Vaccine

washington, March n.-The public
health service. through Surgeon General
Blue, issued its first statement today rel
ative to the government investigation of
DIR. F. It. Friedmann's alleged tubercu-
Iosis cure The statement, which en-
phasIzes the governments policy to pro-
ceed cautiously. is as follows
"on March the Secretary of the Treas
ury, on the recommendation of the sur
geon general of the public health serv-
ice, caused a board Of medical officers
to be detailed to make a thorough in
vestigation of DIR. Friedmanns alleged
cure for tuberculosis.
These officers proceeded Immediately
to New York and arranged with Dr.
friedman for demonstrations OF his
remedy upon persons suffering from tu-
berculosis. These demonstrations are be-
ing carried on In certain New York hos
pitals through the courtesy of their re-
spective authorities and will be continued
until sufficient information has been OBJ
tained for the forming of an opinion as
to the merits of the treatment. DE-
friedman has submitted to the board
a culture of the bacteria which he states
are used in his method of treatment.
In addition to the observation of persons
under treatment by DIR. Friedman. the
board of OFFICERS will make experiments
to ascertain whether this culture Is, as
Dr. friedman claims. harmless to warm
blooded animals.
Requires Some Time
considerable time necessarily will be
required to carry out these investiga-
tons. The work will be carried out as
rapidly as possible.
''In the meantime the public is Informed
of the inadvisabiity in the great ma
iority of cases of travelling long distances
in the hope of receiving treatment, as
those selected for demonstration purposes
constitute only a small proportion of ap
plcants.
Certain statements purporting to bt
expressions of the opinion of the boarc
of officers of the public health service
carrying on the investigation have ap
peared in newspapers These Officers
have expressed no opinion and will no
be in position to do so until the worl
has advanced sufficiently far to warran
some conclusion in regard to DR.. Fried
mann's treatment"
1t was further stated by government
officials that it would be at least monti
and probably longer before any conciu
sions could be reached relating to tn
efficacy of the treatment upon the pa
tients who are being watched by th'
board of officers authorized to make tn
investigation.
Keep Record of Treatments
DR.. John F. Anderson and Dr. a. Nj
Stimson, who composed the board, arr
keeping a daily clinical record of case
! treated by DR. friedman in the New
York hospitals These records will fur
nish the basis for final reports when suf
ficient information has accumulated Il
warrant them.
Though developments from day to day
such as lowering of temperature, disap
pearance of night sweats. cessation o
coughing and the like might mean some
thing of importance in one case, in others
it would not. For this reason the pub.
lie health officials regard 1t as danger
Gus to make any reports whatever unit
they are ready to report finally They
also point out that it is necessary tc
keep record in many cases, as two
or three cases would not be sufficient
upon which to base just report as to
the efficacy of the treatment.
Thus far DIR. Fredmann's tuberculosis
culture has demonstrated to be a live
bug" according to tests made in the
government hygienic laboratory here, SUBJ
cultures having been grown from the
original culture submitted to the public
health service by the Berlin doctor sew
era weeks ago.
The tests conducted by DIR. Anderson
proved that new bacill would propagate
from the prime culture and experiments
have been begun with warm blooded
laboratory animals The sub-cultures also
have proved to be acid proof and they
have been propagated on various chemi-
cal media, such as beef bouillon, gea-
tine bread and other subjects. Enough
of the baccilli has been developed for
the carrying out through monkeys and
guinea pigs of further tests of the anti
tubercular bacclli which DIR. Friedman
claims to have derived. from sea turtles.
New York, March 22.-Sufferers
from tuberculosis whom DR.. Fried
rich F. Friedman treated with his
vaccine before his departure from Ber-
lin to this country are responding re-
markably to the treatment, according to
a cablegram received today by DR. George
O'Hanlon, superintendent of Bellevue hos
pital The cabegram came from a Ber-
lin physician, DR.. OHanlon said. DIR.
Friedman treated 16 patients here to-
day, but was obliged to postpone tllS
treatment of IA others until tomorrow,
owing to the fact that his vaccine was
exhausted He devoted most of the day
to the preparation of new supply.