SPAHLINGER TREATMENT

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LIII, Issue 8686, 13 September 1924, Page 7

SPAHLINGER TREATMENT

DID (4. BLACK MODE'S INVESTIGATIONS.

By ilie last mail Sir .lames Allen forwarded 0; !hr Government. Dr G. .f. Blackmore’s report on I ho .Spahlinger treatment of tuberculosis. I n i Ik 1 meantime hr has semi out a cable message indicating the cbi('f points of the report. Dr Blackmr.re writes in appreciation to- ih,. High Commissioner of the way in which the latter received him, and of the frank wav in which M. Spahlinger discussed his treatment and theories (says a London messsage). ‘‘As you accompanied me to Geneva, and Hit' laboratory, ” ho says, “if is hardly necesary for me to sav much about Ilit' wav T was received by M. Spahlinger, but I should like to record that 1 believe him to,. be a sincere and honest, man - -cue who is not out for gain, bui who sincerely desires to do somt'fliing for the benefits e.f humanity, and who really believes that he is doing work which will prc,ve of immense benefit to the tuberculous. He showed me all his laboratory, explaining much of bis methods, and was entirely frank and open in answering the questions I put to him. Much of tin* information he gave me I regard as confident ia! until such a time as hi 1 cares to publish if, and I have therefore not mentioned these matters in my report, with the- result that my account of his methods is not full and is a popular rather than a strictly scientific and accurate account. ”

It appears that Dr Black me re considers that much confirmatory work is needed by means of independent, invest gallon before M. Spahlinger’s conclusions as to the twenty-two 1 poisons and tin' various symptoms produced by them could be accepted as proved. M. Spablinger's practice as regards the production and use of his serum is based on his belief that Ids opinions are correct, and evidently Dr Blaoknnvre knows of no independent experiment or evidence which bears out the theories held by M. Spablinger.

The serums are acknowledged by M. Spahlinger not to- be a cure, but they tide over a. dangerous period •and give the tissues a chance to bring their defensive mechanism into play. Vaccines must be employed to obtain permanent results. Dr Blackmore appears to be rather doubtful whether the results produced by M. Spahlinger's vaccines are better than by the. use of tuberculin, but he admits that the results are sufficiently good to. warrant a thorough test. He considers the New Zealand Government would be justified in paying MSpahlinger a certain sum to enable him to produce bis vaccines so that a thorough trial cculd be* made in New Zealand, but a condition of payment should be that M, Spahpnger allows New Zealand bacteriologists to work in bis laboratory-