The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-05-10
DOUBT As TO
VACCINE FOR
TUBERCULOSIS
Public Health Service Ques-
tions the Efficiency of DIR.
Friedrnann's Serum; Still
Investigating.
MORE EXPERIMENTS
ARE BEING MADE
No Cure Yet Discovered to
Warrant Confidence of Pub
lie and Medical Profess
sion, 1t Is Declared.

WASHINGTON. May 9.-The pub
lie health service observations, so far
into the condition of patients inoeu
lated by Dr. r. +. friedman with bi.
tuberculosis vaccine. do not "iustify
That confidence in the remedy which
has heen inspired by widespread pub
hcity,'i in the opinion Of the surgeons
who have conducted the government ::
investigation.
The first authentic and official con
elus1on from the tests was announced
here today before the National Asso
cation for. the Study aud Prevention
OF Tuberculosis by DR.. John T, Ander.
son, director OF the government :. hv.
glenlc laboratory, and DIR, A, M. Slim.
SON, another public health surgeon
who were detailed to observe the prog.
ress OF the Friedman patients at
MOUNT ei nj Sinai hospital in New York,
we oelieve that at the present
time, says their report. 1--WE are moi
IN position TO express an oninion
pased on the present conditions under
observation. The disease for which tbe
remedy Is used is prolonged and is
characterized by periods of advance.
Inent and retrogression. 1t is also ono
N which psychic influences are a now.
erful factor. Time is therefore peces.
sary. properly to determine the effect
or therapeutic measures
Exercising Caution.
We must not lose sight of the DOS
siole therapeutic value of this prepara-
LloD, ana on the other hand, it is nee
essdry TO guard against too great an
optimism In respect TO its merits. With
out presenting in detail the condition
oI patients under observation we are
III position to state that the facts
mus isr observed do not Justify tbat
confidence in the remedy which has
oeen inspired by widespread publicity
IN our opinion harm may have been
cone by this undue publicity in so far
AS u mas lessened the confidence of tI-
oeiGui9sls persons In well recognized
Methoos OF treatment or interrupted
their use, and we are constrained ~ al. a.
plse against any lessening OF those well
known measures which not only
nave effected cures, but which have
reduced the Incidence Of the disease.
IN our series Of patients. DR.. Fried
ma ,nahn mas almost exclusively made use or
monary cases and a very consida-oSo
proportion OF them have either deveioned
lnfcoss no conslderab infltrato at ali or have
evident. therefore. that yery consj6sro
ape portion Of these patients may exnect
thelr treatment at the hand OF DR. Fried :
'',I.i " eSleIlu over long perfOd
Concerning the cultures subnoittad On
US we may state that a series of expert
inents is under way. The bacillus has
been found to be an acld-fast orcanisIn
having properties quite different from
those OF any tuoercule bacillus with
which We are acquainted. II appears to
be identical with an organism cultivated
from Few loopfuls Of the material used
Tor injection which DR. Friedman per-
nitted us 70 place on culture media in
his presence. We requested Dr. Fried
mann 20 furnish us with a large amount
OF this material for examination, but this
ne has declined to do
On the whole, Dr. Frriedmann's reJ,,c
tance TO furnish certain details were not
satisfactory from n scientific standpoint" "
but the report says "In view of the erent
importance OF the matter 10 Tuberculosis
patients through the country and In the
hope that valuable remedy might have
at last been found TO not only cure tu-
berculosis patients. but 10 prevent the
disease. the conditions imposed by DR.
Friedman were accepted. An additional
reason fot raking advantage Of opportu-
mites TO make every study possible was
the assurance OF DR.. Friednann OF It's