The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-01-14
DR.. |. |. TEN BROCK
MAKES DISCOVERY
Brother of Rev. ]. A. Ten Brock
Finds 0iphtheria Preventive
FUNGUS TREATMENT IS USED

Minneapolis, Mimi, Jan. 14.-An i'm
portant discovery in the treatment Of
diphthcria has been announced in
Minneapolis. 1t is the discovery Of DR..
l.. L Ten Brock, il37 Lyndale avenue
s. and consists of lmplantlng in the
throat Of the patient a fungus which
muliiplies rapidly and destroys the
germs that form the diphtheria mem
braue. The discovery was worked out
in the laboratories Of the University
of Minnesota ana Of Wells Memorial
house.
Announcement of the discovery also
is made in the Medical Record Of New
York, which has an article by Dr Ten
Broeck giving an account of his
method ard relating his experience in
treating patients with the fungus.
Dr. Ten Broeclt does not yet offer
his fungus treatment as substitute
FOR antitoNm, but says that it has been
used exclusively with good results i'm
cases whore ;ho outlook seemed to JUS
tfy it.
Used as Preventive Now.
The treatment may yet be devel-
oped To point where il can be used
exclusively said Dr. Ten Brocck.
but SO far it is advocated only as a
means Of preventing contagiUn. The
fungus should bc implanted in the
I 1.
posed, to destroy the germs if they are
there, and should bc placed in the
! throats of patients i'm the same way
! that we throw water on a burning
building to save spread of the fire. The
fungus also serves to clear the throats
of people who are germ carriers who
are sources of infection without suffer-
ing from tho disease themselves. We
are employing it successfully i'm the
border line cases where the diagnosis
is uncertain"
DIR. Ten Brock says he has been
working un the proposition for several
years, beginning with experiments to
find what would destroy diphtheria
baCili.
They cannot be cleared from the
throat by medical means." he said
and the principle employed is setting
a thief to catch thief The fungus
Itself is absolutely harmless but is
easily propagatcd and does It work
rapidly"
Is Also a Curative
In the Medical Record article Or
Ten Brock calls his fungus the "achya
lmuscdris," and describes it as a thai
I loptic fungus The word "thalloptic"
is derived from the Greek "thallos,"
a green twig, and "physon.' a plant.
"Achya muscaris," says Or. Ten
Broeck. possesses the power of de-
stroying bacilll diphthcriae in culture
ami In the throat II is applicable in
all stages Of the disease and seems TO
give speediest results in the earliest
cases. There are grounds for believing
that throat i'm which this fungus is
growing is soon Shorn OF its danger of
coutagion, even II the diphthcria bacilli
are still harborcd.
III this fungus possesses strong bac-
tercidal properties 1t ought to provo
itself curative unaidod by other means.
Anticipating the clinical tables 1t may
be said that the fungus seems To re-
move membraneous unginas Of various
origin.
Work Ahead OF Diagnosis,
Given a case Of membraneOus an
giua not seriously sick enough 10 de
mdnd immediate auttoNin, it is appar-
ent that the fungus can be inoculated
and bc doing its work many hours be-
fore the DIAGNOSIS has become cstdb-
lishcd. When there was at tho same
time a clinical Improvement that one
by practise can detest, we felt justified
in tho face of a favorable outlook to
let the case progress without other
treatment These eases form the most
striking demonstration If the action Of
this fungus"
DR. Ten Brucck is a graduate of the
academic college Of the University Of
Minnesota, class OF 1898. and of Rush
Medical college In 1907