The Washington herald., 1915-09-16
Italian Savant Declares Americans
May Wipe Out White Plague

'1f the American people will take ad-
vantage Of means now at their disposal
for fighting tuberculosis. the great white
plague will be as rare a disease in fifty
years as smallpox is today" This Is
! the assertion of DIR. Enrico Castelli, spe-
cial delegate to the United States from
the medical faculty of Genoa, Italy, who
addressed the Association Of Military
Surgeons at the Army Medical School
yesterday.
THE steps by which the human being
of tomorrow is to be immunized against
the dread disease" said DIR. Castelli. ARE
these: Vaccination of the mother during
, the period prior to motherhood; vaccina-
| ton of the child between the ages Of
one and six months. and vaccination Of
milk-giving cows. in order that babies
may drink immunized milk
The vaccination referred to by DIR. Cas-
telli is useful only as a preventative.
having little or no effect if injected after
| the disease has been contracted. fhe
idea Of vaccinating against the disease
was conceived by Maragliano In 1903. DR..
Castelli and his associates at Genoa
have spent years experimenting with it,
and claim now to be able to assert this
| it is possible to check the rapid spread
| of the great white plague.
I'VE feel that we are in position now
to master in a logical and systematic
way the problem of prophylaSis of tu-
| berculosis, and that We have acquired a
better understanding Of its treatment"
went on DR.. Castelli.
Guides for Campaign.
Dr. Castelli outlined the following
| suggestions for a campaign to break
the grip of the white plague In the
United States:
Il. An extensive and regular use
of serum diagnosis in hospitals. dis
pensaries, and private practice. to Sc
cure earlier recognition of tubercu-
losis.
"2. Compulsory vaccination Of all
babies under six months. Such vac
cination has proved absolutely HARM
less.
IS. Advising vaccination of women
soon to become mothers.
II. Establishment of farms and
dairies supplying immunized milk for
the use of children and adults showing
evidences of tuberculosis.
"5. Vaccination of coNs to secure
immunized products of conception.
..6. The administration to tubercu
losis patients of the blood of i'm
munized animals, including serum and
corpuscles. We have found that not
only is the serum of immuniZed ami
mails impregnated with antibodies. but
also the other elements of the blood
as well. We have perfected a techni-
que of modification which makes the
blood more appetizing than in its
natural FORM
DR.. Castelli declared that he and his
colleagues of the University of Genoa
have worked out a method for serum
diagnosis by which it was possible to
determine by measurement the amount
of tuberculosis infection Of
immunity against the disease. how
much tuberculosis matter must be in
troduced into the body to obtain COM
plete immunity and how long this i'm
munity will last.
DR.. Casteli said the vaccination is be-
ing used with much success in the Italian
army and urged this government :n make
its injection compulsory in the United
States army.
Acting on the knowledge that much of
the tuberculosis infection in infancy Is
contracted through milk" said the pnys-
clan, I'VE concluded that if we adopted
for the feeding of babies milk obta irei
either from immuniZed animals or vac Cci-
mated mothers, We would eliminate the
principal source of infection Of this dis
ease. The first six months of life is the
best period for storing the new organism
with all the material defense necessary
to react against possible future infec-
tion.
I'm our opinion. the baby that is made
immune through the vaccination OF the
mother and self-va accination is a victim
stolen from tuberculosis. We have sue
ceeded in training a group of farmers
in the province of Genoa in the techni- |
que of immunization OF animals, and |
have demonstrated to them that the milk |
thus obtained does not change in taste
or nourishing qualities" |
DIR. Castelli said it has been showE |
that persons f""s vaccinated have been |
immune for rs later. To maintain |
lifelong iT he said. it would mere
ly be nece 5 re-vaccinate at regular |
periods. njection may last more |
than four -. he said. but it will not |
die out II 81 before that period.
Lived Here for Years.
Although the best part of his medical |
career has been spent in New York and |