The Washington times., 1916-08-12
JAPANESE REPORTS
TUBERCULOSIS CURE
DR.. Koga, DIscoverer Of cyano-
cuproI, Gives Results Of
Treatment In So Cases.

NEW YORK. Aug. 1i.-when Dr..
Genssburo Koga. Of Tokyo. announced
eighteen months ago that he was curing
tuberculosis with injections Of double
salt OF copper and potassium cyanide,
the medical world was skeptical.
1t had been deiuded too many times By
announcements of "cures" for tuberou-
losis. which experience proved to bs
useless.
But extended treatment Of ssver,I
hundred cases In several hospitals In
japan by DIR. Koga, DR.. Mortsuke Otani.
Prof. kitasato. DR.. r. aTkano, and 9th
ers. proves II to be 30 successful that
the Journal OF Experimental Medicine, Of
which DR.. simon Flexner is editor. and
the Rockefeller Institute for Medical
Research the publisher devotes its en-
tire August number to reports upon II.
Chief among the items is a report by
IT. hoga on sixty-hree typical cases
that have been treated with cyanocu-
caiied. This is followed By an article
py Morfsuke Otanf. of the Kitasato In
stitnte Tor Infectious Diseases. on the
clinical treatment OF tuberculosis pa
tients.
Finally there is a report by DR.. R.
with cyanocuprol in the I-hai-yen Lep-
rosortum. Tokyo. all Of which show
such marked Improvement that II looks
as IL the discovery might prove a
cure for leprosy as well as for tubercu-
losis.
Injected Into Veins.
Briefly. cyanocuprol Is an aqueous
solution of potassium cyanide and COP
per. diluted In 1000 times its volume Of
distilled water.
1t IL highly irritating 20 the tissues.
anl must be injected exclusively into a
VEN. Doses are given at intervals Of
two weeks. varying In quantity accord
ing to the form and stage OF the dis
ease and the age Of the patient.
After the injections the patient must
have absolute rest for three days after
the first. seven days after the second.
and fourteen days after the third M
lection.
DR. Koga's report shows that Of nine
teen cases of non-active tuberculosis IN
tho first stage, thirteen were cured. tMc
improved and three were still under
was suspended.
or six in the second stage. three were
cured and three improved. or four III
'he third stage ono was cured and three
improved. In cases of active tuCer-
culosis. of seven in the first stare tour
were cured, two improved and one was
still under treatment.
OF eleven in the second stage tnree
us
still under treatment. and In one tne
treatment was suspended. or eight III
the third stage none was cured, tnISS mn,
imIroved. three died. and two were stii
or eight cs ses of surgical tuberculosis
one was cured. four improved, ono was
still, under treatment and in two the
treatment was suspended.
Tho total for tho siNty-snree cases Is
Twenty-Five cured. twenty-five I'M
proved. three died. nine under treat
nent. four treatment suspended,
How Scientih Defines Cures,
The term cured is applied by DR..
Koga to cases that gained In body
weight, showed temperatures below 81
degrees centigrade, no, or nearly no.
physical signs. the saliva free from
bacilli and the patients attending &c
their regular work.
"ImprOved" means the same except
that bacilli are found occasionally In the
saliva and other symptoms are still
present.
,, DR.. Koga sums up his results by say
ing: ,,,,,,
l think, indicate that the preparation
greatly improves or apparently cures
| pulmonary and surgical tuberculosis
! In the first and second stages ana mat
| IL seems also to produce beneficial ef.
| fects upon the disease in the third
The duration Of these beneficial effects
| is still to be established by more num-
erous trials and many years OF observa-
| ton"
| DR.. Otanis report is dated ten months
later than DIR. Koga's. He sums up In
| part az follows:
"Cyanocuprol is markedly effective IN
tuberculosis. and We believe that 1t VIII
nlay an important part In clinical medi-
cine. 1t may be used more generally
| than tubercul.n.
"The amount of the dose is closely re-
lated to the reaction and the f1nal re-
| suits II should be determined for each
patient after careful examination OF
| his symptoms.