Evening star., 1952-05-13
Report on New Drugs
For tuberculosis Hit
As 0veroptimistic

The optimistic newspaper and
magazine accounts of the new
wonder drugs for tuberculosis are
completely misleading, a noted
authority on the disease said here
last night.
He was DR.. David r. Smith.
professor of bacteriology and as
sociate professor of medicine at
the Duke University School of
Medicine. Durham, N. C. He was
principal speaker at the 50th an
niversary dinner of the District
tuberculosis Association, held in
the Burlington Hotel.
DR.. Smith, who is former pres
ident of the National tuberculosis
Association, discussed the new
wonder-drug, isonicotinic acid hy-
drazide, as well as streptomycin
and their effects on tuberculosis.
He said the reports of the success
of these drugs have given the pub
lie the impression that tubercu-
losis can be cured as simply
cheaply and efficiently as pneu-
monia.
Urgent Problems Remain.
Nothing could be further from
the TRUTH he added. These
patients still require long periods
of sanitorium treatment"
He said it is true these drugs
will save many lives, but they will
not eliminate the necessity for
case-finding clinics, more sanitor-
ium beds and more efficient re-
habilitation programs. All these,
he said, remain urgent problems,
inasmuch as reduction of the
death rate has not been accom-
panied by a corresponding reduc-
ton in newly diagnosed cases.
DR.. Smith said the public has
received the impression tubercu-
losis has been conquered by figures
showing a phenomenal reduction
in the death rate. This is from
about 200 per 100000 in 1900 to
about % per 100000 in 1850. He
emphasized that tuberculosis still
Is the most important of all the
precentable diseases.
Resistant Bacilli.
DR.. Smith explained that the
new drug, isonicotinic acid hydra
zide, discovered independently by
Merck and Squibbs, seems to be
more effective than streptomycin,
discovered by Selman Wakeman.
This is in the killing of tubercule
bacilli inside the cells of the body,
he said. "but it now appears that
resistant bacilli also developed to
the new drug, which will limit it's
usefulness"
'It is most important that the
public be informed about the case
finding programs" the speaker
added. THE new drugs cannot
be used until the cause of tuber-
culosis has been discovered. With |
all of our modern discoveries,
new cases Of tuberculosis will
continue to appear among the
citizens Of Washington for several
generations"
IF every inhabitant of the Dis
trict was given a tuherculin test,
I'm sure it would reveal that att
least so per cent Of the popula-t
ton has positive tuberculin re-
action, showing that they have
or have had living tubercle bacilli
in their bodies. Perhaps 10 per
cent have living tubercle bacilli inE
their tissues at this moment, and
a small, but as yet undetermined.
per cent will eventually develop |
the active disease"
Work Not Finished.
He said that from these few
examples it 'is obvious that the
work of the tuberculosis Associa-
ton is not finished, and the need
for a strong, vigorous association
is greater now than ever before"
The dinner also saw the elec-
tion of II new directors of the
District group. They are Miss
Flora Brown, DR.. Addion M. D.
val, the Rev. Andrew Fowler,
Samuel A. Freas, Mrs. Julian
Loewus, Mrs. Joseph c. Monaghan.
Frank D. Norton, Miss Mary Red
mon, Mrs. Helen T. Steinbarger,
j. Albert Well and the Rev /
Ramon A. Di Nardo.