The Washington herald., 1913-03-07
DR.. Woods Hutchinson Attends
Clinic and Recounts All
that Was Done.
COUNSELS FORBEARANCE
While Expressing Doubt a. to Value Of
Present Experiment, Would Give
Beriiner Fair Show"
Nv DIR, WOODS HUTCHINSON.

|
| New York. March 6-E.arly this morn
| ing 1 received an intimation, through the
courtesy Of a colleague connected with
the hospital, that test OF the Fried
mann cure would be made at the People s
Hospital. in lower Second Avenue. and
that a limited number Of physicians in
vited by tho staff of the hospital would
be permitted to be present.
My first feeling was ono of relief and
| satisfaction that at last the red tape was
to he cut the bylaws suspended. and our
visitor after his storm tossed and aston
ishing experiences with tho management
of the Waldorf-Astorta, the Board of
Health. the owners Of ONCE buildings, and
the County Medical Society. was to be
given an opportunity to show exactly
what was in his much-heralded cure and
to demonstrate its powers by actual ex-
pertinent.
or course. II Is only fair to remember
that all these "Perwentin provinces
were more or less compelled TO take
the attitude they did by forces beyond
their control or by the law of the land.
Especially was this the case with the
Board of Health. in view OF the fact
that Or. Friedmann's remedy is no mere
drug or chemical. or finished" anti
toxin. the full effect of which for good
or i'll can be seen in 4 few hours or
days at the outside. but contains living
germs which must grow and multiply
in tho body for at least two or three
months I'm order to produce any curative
effect. and no telling what virulent
changes they may undergo In that time.
Animals Useless for Test.
It is useless even to test the serum
upon animals. First. because all the
experimental guinea pigs immunized by
the euro in Berlin ultimately died OF
tuberculosis, and second. because Or.
Friedmann frankly declared TO tho sur
geons OF our Marine Hospital Service.
when refusing 10 give them a sample
for examination. thar il was entirely
without effect upon animals and would
only work upon human beings.
Sfill. II was coming to be felt that II
would bc little short Of a calamity II
any remedy seriously alleged TO he a
cure for such n fearful foe OF mankind
ss tuberculosis should re prevented by
any combination OF circumstances or legal
restrictions from getting full. fair. and
open trial on its merits.
Such an opportunity was afforded to
DR.. Friedman TO-DAY. And n brief
STRAIGHTFORWARD. and impartial narrative
or the way in which he embraced the
opportunity will perhaps enable the pub
lie 10 judge how he rose TO II and how
far he fulfilled the high expectations
aroused by his coming
obviously. no final conclusion or iudr-
ment OF any kind can be pronounced,
as this was only the first step in test
which 1t will take weeks and proba-
bly, months to complete, in the form Of
definite results, either positive or mega
tive.
In marked contrast to the crowds
which had besieged the Waldorf. when
Or. Friedman first reached the hospital
about II o'clock. there Were only three or
four patients waiting. But as he pro-
ceeded to examine them and read their
others came pouring into the
waiting-room by twos and threcs.
some twenty or twcnty-four were in at
tendance.
Dismisscs All But Three.
One physician stated that he alone had !
brought twelve patients. DR.. Friedman |
spent about an hour in going over these |
patients, examining some in detail, and |
n others simply passing upon the writ |
ten histories submitted to him. And at !
the end of this time. he dismissed as un-
suited for the trial of his remedy, all but |
three.
This was a good deal of a disappoint-
nent. not only to the poor patients, but |
llso to the physicians present, who had
hoped to see the remedy tested upon as
wide n scale as possible and upon cases ,
II all stages Of the disease. This dis
appointment was the greater, because OF !
he large majority Of the cases rejected I
we're either early. or middle stage cases.
n which the disease was steadily pro-
,reSsing or patients in advanced stages
f the disease, whose only hope of re-
overy would certainly be past. unless
omcthing could be done for them with
n few weeks or months.
None Of them, however. was in any
ense in a desperate or immediate critical
ondition. and all but one OF them would
ave been regarded as fair cass for hope
ul open air or sanatorium treatment.
The cases accepted by DR.. Friedman
or treatment were two men Of about
hirty-five or forty years OF age, with
pulmonary tuberculosis, and a young .
voman with bone tuberculosis Of the
nee joint. One of the male patients had
ad the disease for five years and lost
tx pounds in weight. The other had had
t for four years and lost five pounds.
soth of them had good color and appe-
ite. no noticeable cough, and, in fact,
-ere typical cases OF the. long-lived
hronic so-called fibrous type of the dis
ase, which runs anywhere from five to
fteen years. and then sometimes heals
p or comes to a standstill.
May Not Prove EnliEhteninE.
AS both of them. under reasonable care.
night be expected to live at least three
D five years and make several temporary
aims in the meantime, lin fact one OF
hem had gained five pounds under the
pen-air treatment only a few months
efore) 1t is frankly a little difficult to
cnceive exactly what definite and posi-
i've results DR.. Friedman could expect :.
D obtain. for better or worse, from even
he most active and helpful remedy In
hese cases. Certainly nothing could be :
set down due to the remedy
ar short of three or four months. For
perpetual series OF oscillations. up and ,
own. relapses followed by improve
tents. followed by further relapses, is +
heir regular routine history ana expert
nee.
OF course. no reasonable man would
ave expected DR.. friedman to cure
ny large per cent of the far gone or
lpidly advancing early cases. Yet in !
lew of the high claims made for his
.medy. and the difficulty he has had
getting an adequate field for trial.
is certainly a matter for regret that
= seemed disinclined to take-in the
notwithstanding chances" and
I'VE the world an opportunity to see