TUBERCULOSIS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 78, 1 April 1924, Page 7

TUBERCULOSIS

SPAHLINGER TREATMENT

REVIEW. BY. HON< DR. COLLIrJ*

SST-HOPEFDL OUTLOOK,-

The most comprehensive ami atrfnaritative review of Hie week of Dr. Spahlinger's treatment for tabercalosis yet given in New Zealand was made by tho Hon. Dr, W. E, Coffins, M.LXL, in an: instructive address in the Town Hall Concert Chamber. There jras a large •■and interested audience.

In introducing the speaker, the- Mayor (Mr..R A. Wright, M.P.), whopresided, paid a tribute to the work of Dr. Collins, and to the medical profession gem erally, for its endeavours to prevent, rather than to cure, illness and disease. Ur "lns sai? that address was the first of a series which would be delivered, this winter, under the auspices • of the Bed Cross Society. His reason for speaking on the subject, he said, 'was that comparatively little was known, about the treatment in New ZealandHe gave the opinions of medical men on the Continent as to the honesty of Dr. bpahhnger, and dismissed the idea that he was a charlatan. As one authority had said, he was too honest for thatiDr. Collins went on to briefly describe" the man, and to trace his rise to fame, and the methods by whicli he practised Personally, be believed Dr. Spahlinger was a man of unimpeachable character and of high ideals. He was self-taught, and he was possessed of original ideas, and employed original methods in. his work. He was not a medical man—nor was the great Pasteur, the father orbacteriology. He had built up his lM>nratory at a cost of £80.000 of bis own and his father's money. He was no business man. and it was difficult to judgn his mentality., for he was intolerant of advice and criticism. " ' ; NOT-A SERIOUS ORGANISM. Dr. Spahlinger considered that tuberculosis was not aggressive "'"unless 'it,1 irritated. He believed it might lie in any organ of the body for an indefinite period, but that if the health of the host was affected by overwork, fatigue, or worry, or by attacks of pneumonia, influenza, measles, or similar diseases, it'became irritated, and liberated its toxins "not'so much to destroy its host as to protect itself. His contention that the bacillus was not a serious organism was borne oat. by other medical men. 'Spahlinger conceived the idea of worrying the bacillus and so inducing it to grre up its toxin, and he then tested his theory by experimenting on guinea pigs. Ho then produced his complete serum, composed, of 22 different anti-toxins and bis vaccine. By, taking a number of patients suffering from different kinds of tuberculosis. and injecting a number of them first with one anti-toxin he found.that a certain number benefited. With -later injections of the same anti-toxin the same patients benefited. Using another antitoxin he achieved similar results. Each particular -anti-toxin appeared to act upon a particular formcf the disease. He then experimented with a mixture of the two, and found that the patients responded very much better. In some instances cures were effected, but patients relapsed as the applications were discontinued. He then developed vaccines which he claimed rendered both man and beast immune from tuberculosis. Owin"to the lack of funds Dr. Spahlinger was now' making only partial sera: The nature of the vaccine was known only to Spahlinger, who had been told that it would be unwise to publish it until the results of the treatment had been properly demonstrated. 'The preparation of the vaccine was very difficult and expensive,, and rather than have the treatment discredited it was deemed wise to keep its composition secret for the present. Dr. Collins referred to one doctor who testified that out of 300 patients treated 80 per cent, of recoveries had been recorded. Many successful cases had been reported by other medical men. ASSISTING IN RESEARCH WORK. „£ l'-,'9 ollills went on to refer to the difficulties that confronted the Ministry of Health of Great Britain in regard to developing the treatment. The accumulated, funds amounted to £110 OCO COO but not one penny could be used to investigate the Spahlinger method of treatment. The Chief Medical Officer of En-r----land and Wales was willing to piae'e fafty beds of a hospital at the doctor's disposal, but he declined to accept because he nad not the money with which to manufacture- his complete sera ' On the one side the Health Ministry was quite sympathetic, having some 200 CCO suUerers who were anxious for clinical results. On the other side Spahlinger iiad achieved many successful results upon animals, which showed no sign of tuberculosis after death. The speaker ™ -c vearn? stl.v *>oped sonic means would be. found of breaking down the fence. He believed it could be removed' dnd he was encouraged by the fact that the Chief Medical Officer of Health was sufficiently impressed that he was willin"to assist Dr. Spahlinger if ;t working drraugement could be arrived at. Dr. Collins read th ß text of the form of agreement drawn up by Sir James Allen for the financing of the laboratory up till the end of 1924 by New Zealand. He pointed out that the vaccines prepared by Dr. Spahiinger were of much greater importance than the sera. Sir James Allen had every confidence in the treatment, and would not rest until the method had been tested out. An Australian authority, who had reported adversely upon tho method of treatment, had declined to inspect a laboratory, as he had confessed he was not a Bacteriologist, but a surgeon. ' Many other highly-qualified men supported the treatment. In conclusion, Dr. Collins enumerated tins' reasons for his own faith in the treatment; He believed the theory was sound, and that the work was being conducted on the right lines; he also ■ believed that what Dr. Spahlinger had done in the wav of cures up till 1914, since when he had been able to make a partial sera,, he would be able to do again, perhaps on a larger scale, when he was able to make a complete sera. Dr. Spahlinger had expressed keenness that New Zealand should have supplies of sera, but personally he believed it would be difficult for him to do so, because if the success oi the treatment were r'estabKshed the demand would be very great. He considered that New Zealand was the one country hi all the woks in - which"'this' best results could be achieved from the use of the sera. Tho question was'whether it was worth while making an offer of assistance-to Dr. Spahlinger. A"sum of £100,000 vtould be required, and themoney would have to be carefully administered. There could be no better man. for the purposo than Sir James Alien. If any money was subscribed it would have to be handed over without condition to Sir James, who would see that it was not wasted. In moving a vote of thanks to D" Collins, Dr. J. Allan Thompson said 'it was the opinion of many men that the Spahlinger method was the most hopeful method yet discovered. If it was brought to fruition through the efforts of. th's country, 2fetv Zealand would stand*. .100 psr cent, in the eyes of the chdlised. ÜBBaott^,- r —'- ' " "-■■■