CONSUMPTION SCOURGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19415, 25 August 1926, Page 15

CONSUMPTION SCOURGE.

THE SPAHLINGER METHOD. " UTTERLY UNPRACTICAL MAN." MEDICAL LEGISLATORS' VIEWS. [from our own correspondent.] LONDON. July 15. Several months have now elapsed since the Spahlinger treatment has been publicly mentioned, but during the discussion in the House of Commons on the Ministry of Health vote the subject was again referred to Dr. A. V. Davies said he believed that ultimately the treatment for consumption would be found in vaccine. He recalled that several medical members of The House went last year to Geneva, and, after a thorough inspection, they came to the conclusion that Dr. Spahlinger had made out a prima facie cas« for his method of treatment of consumption. The difficulty was that, although Dr. Spahlinger was a man of the highest character, he was utterly unpractical, and it had been found impossible to come to terms with him, and he had refused £250,000 which was offered to him for his method of treatment. Dr. Spahlinger and his family had spent the whole of their fortune of £BO,OOO for the good of humanity ; he had no money at all, and he was living from hand to mouth. There was a possibilty, said the speaker, that this man had in his possession a remedy for consumption, and it seemed tragic that, because of his idiosyncrasies, no means could be found of bringing his remedy to the notice of the world generally. He appealed to the Minister of Health to look up the records of the cases that Dr. Spahlinger had treated, and suggested that he should allocate £50,000 or £IOO,OOO to be handed over to trustees for the development of this work. The country was spending £IOO,OOO a fortnight on tuberculosis, and ♦he sum was small in comparison to the purpose that might be achieved. He only wished that he (Dr. Davies) could be Minister of Health for 24 hours to enable him to do what he had suggested. (Cheers.) Dr. Shiels, a Labour member, said that the Minister should keep an open mind in regard to any possibility of acquiring the Spahlinger treatment. He asked the Ministry of Health to urge local authorities to procure installations for treatment of tuberculosis by light, a method which had long passed the experimental stage. Mr. Ammon, another Labour member, said he imagined that the real reason why the Spahlinger treatment was not better known was because the only terms on which this eminent scientist would deal were those of receiving money without undertaking to deliver the goods. It was utterly impossible to do business with him.