The Detroit times., 1914-01-23
SALVARSAN May
BE REMEDY FOR
DREAD PARESIS
Rockefeller Institute Doctors
Achieve Wonderful Results
by New Method
SEVEN INSANE PATIENTS
SHOW MUCH IMPROVEMENT
IoOd Results in Every Case
Specially Prepared Serum
Injected Into Spine

WHITE PLAINS, y. J Jan. %
II an experiment row being conducted
4 the Boominsdale asylum turns out
as tayorably as It's initial stages have
ed the experim "a ers 20 believe IL will
the world can rejoice over momer-
tous triumph cl science one that
would mean as much 20 mankind as
the discovery Of cure for cancer.
The BloomlnEdale asylum. as all
may know is situated at White Plains
and conserrated % the insane and the
mentally lame and halt. Many of its
patients have been victims OF paresis,
hitherto re carded as an incurable NAL
ady, the afflicted usually dying within
three years.
But now the specialists Of that in
stitution have high hopes thai rem
ed, has al last been found for the
hitherto incurabv m For three
months seven patients. representing
as many stages OF the disease. have
been undergoing the new method OF
treatment Rot one has developed an
unfayorabe symptom striking inn
rroyement has been noted IN each
and ultimate recovery OF all is hoped
for by the specialists who have the
experiment in hand
ParesiG. commonly known a soft
rnlne OF the brain Is known sc en-.
tihcally AZ general paraly sis, or par
csis M a brochure ISSUED hN the
hospital prior 10 the undertaf ing OF
these experiments the disease was de
scribed as "rcurablc by any means
, now known 10 the medical profession.
Those afflicted With IL snffcr gradual
mental and physical decay the Very
substance OF Toe brain become
changed They usually live but a tow
years
The brochure goes on TO say that
paresis is caused u> q malignant form
OF blood poison which is by Itself
germ disease
In Ehrichs discovery az saNacTau
it was found thaf thc carly Stage
OF this blood poisoning could be- con
trolled that by he admin .siration of
one-seventh of fatal dose OF arsenic
the germs would be- al stroyed. But
the later and more dang"rOu manl-
festations OF the disease. pare SIS and
locomotor ataxia resisted an treat
ment
Meanwhile Drs. Moore and No
guchi Of the Rockefeller Institute had
turned their attention 10 this subject.
and after an exhaustive study had
found the parasite in the brain and
demonstrated that general paralysis
was due to the action OF tie disease
on the nervous system
Then was tried an injection of sal
arsan into the veins Bur II allied
10 reach the cerebro-splnal cavities
these being remotely connected with
the general circulation, and there
was no check to the disease once Y
had taken hold 81 The brain and spinal
cord, the sO-called central nervous
system
Recently two other doctors Of the
Rockefeller Institute Drs. Swift and
Ellis. began another series OF expert
ments, eventually to develop the
method that is now 6eing tried ont
AZ the Rloomingdale Asylum that OF
injecting salyarsan directly into the
spinal canal
This Is a description OF the method
employed.
Savarsan is injected into the arm
81 patient intrayenously. that Is. in
% the veins. One hour later about
30 cubic centimetres OF blood are
drawn from the opposite arm This
blood Is allowed TO clOt In a tube.
subsequently about 10 centimelres OF
this serum is drawn off and diluted
with IS cubic centimetres OF nor
nal saline solution. The resultant
40 per cent solution is then heated
for thirty minutes 10 a temperature
OF So degrees centgrade and set aside
for future use.
In giving the injection what is
known asa lumbar puncture is msde
- d
lumbar vertebrae and enough Of the
cerebro-spinal fluid is drawn off to
admit the injection without danger
ous pressure. To prevent the. fore
ing OF the intraspinous pressure
above the danger point. the serum
is allowed TO flow in by gravity
To a report for The World who
called upon him recently. DR. Will.
liam l.. Russell. superintendent of the
Bloomingdale Asylum. said that DR.
George s Amsden. who had in charge
the seven paretics into whose spines
the injections have been made. had
Just sailed for Bermuda on short
vacation. Immediately before his de.
parture in Bermuda Or. Amsdem
had gone 10 the Rockefeller Institute
and reported on the condition OF the
,even paretics. The report had been
received with the greatest enthus
iasm.
Or. Russell sent for the records OF
the patients and from these read the
details OF their improvement since
the new method Of treatment was
adopted one patient. bedridden.
emaciated. silent aud irritable, is now
walking about tractable laxative.
and has gained 30 pounds in weight.
He Is still insane. but Or. Russell
feels warranted I'm saving that the
treatment is gradually lessening his
insanity and that an eventual cure
can be hoped for
The Rockefeller Institute has been
trying this treatment on victims OF
locomotor ataxia biit4Ahas ne feetft
ties for the treatment OF paretics
and Il Is for this reason that the out
come Of the experiment at the Bloom
ingdalee Asylum is being watched
with such keen interest
The records OF the Rockefeller In
- .titute show exceedingly encouraging
results OF the treatment as applied to
locomotor ataxia, the kin disease OF
paresis. Even cases of long standing
have yielded to the treatment, In
one OF ten years standing and where
tho patient had suffered from blood
l. n