THE CONSUMPTION CURE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 978, 28 November 1890, Page 29

THE CONSUMPTION CURE.

By Electric Telegraph,-—Copyright,

(per press association.) Melbourne, November 20. The Victorian Government will be represented in Berlin by Professor H. B. Allen, of Melbourne University, who is at present in the German capital investigating Dr Koch’s cure for consumption. Several local medical men have left for Berlin on their own account. Sydney, November 22. Professor Anderson Stuart, who is at present in London, will visit Berlin ou behalf of the New South Wales Government for the purpose of making enquiries into Dr Koch’s cure for consumption. Berlin, November 22. It is impossible to procure consumptive lymph, as Dr Koch retains the secret in order to prevent ignorant doctors from misusing it. He is confident that his method will cure consumptive patients where the vital organs are intact.

Twenty persons are under treatment by Dr Koch, and 15 show signs of recovering. It is probable that the lecture proposed to be delivered by the discoverer explaining the method of treatment will be deferred.

London, November 23.

The report that Dr Koch had been inoculated with consumptive lymph is untrue.

The doctor is desirous of entrusting the secret of his cure to the Emperor William, and of allowing him to control the disclosure.

It is improbable that any person out side of the medical faculty will be supplied with the lymph until several months have elapsed.

Berlin, November 25. The discovery by Dr Koch continues to cause intense excitement.

(special to press association.)

Berlin, November 20.

Dr Koch has not made public the component parts of his specific. He desires the Government to undertake the manufacture of the remedy. It is understood the cure is not immediate, but requires several years.

Berlin, November 24. The Emperor has decorated Dr Koch with the Order of the Red Eagle.

London, November 24.

Sir F. Dillon Bell, Agent General for New Zealand, proposes that the AgentsGeneral for the various Australian colonies should join in commissioning an eminent physician to study the methods of Dr Koch’s cure for consumption, and obtain a quantity of lymph for use in the* Australian colonies.

(per press association.) Auckland, November 21.

The Chairman of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board telegraphed to Dr Macgregor asking if the Government proposed to secure for this Colony the benefits of Dr Koch’s treatment of consumption. Dr Macgregor replied as follows to-day :—“ The Government think we ought to possess more definite information before incurring any expense in the matter of Koch’s alleged discovery of a cure for consumption.”

Dr Fred. Bird, of Melbourne, has had private letters from Professor H. B. Allen, of the Melbourne University, who is now in Berlin, and who has been afforded an opportunity of going over Dr Koch’s extensive laboratories. Professor Allen (says the Argus), in describing the work of the Congress, made allusion to the paper on phthisis which Dr Koch read before the Congress. The Bavant described a number of chemical substances which would destroy the bacillus, but which oould not be injeoted in sufficient quantities to kill the germ without poisoning the whole organism, and went on to show that he had at last found a substance which was fatal to the tubercular guest without injuring its living host. His experiments were carried out almost entirely upon animals, and especially guinea pigs, which are particularly susceptible to tubercular disease. After inoculating a number of guinea pigs with the genuine tubercle of phthisis, some of them were not subjected to further treatment, while a speoial remedial substance was injected into the others. Dr Koch, with characteristic reticenoe, declined to divulge the exaot preparation which he used as a prophylactic until he should have absolutely convinced himself of its efficacy ; and it is not clear at present whether the substance which he injeoted was the attenuated virus of tuberculosis or some distinct chemical agent. The analogy of similar experiments in other directions would seem to show that the attenuated virus would be used as a remedy; but the line of research adopted by Dr Koch in this case indicated that he had found some chemioal compound which would do the work required. The result of the experiment was that all the guinea pigs which had been treated with the remedial agent recovered, while the others died in a very short time of well defined tubercular disease. Dr Koch had not experimented upon any human, subjects when the most recent advices were despatched, and it is considered impossible that the truth of such a startling theory can be established without a series of exhaustlyo. testa. Dr Fred Bird points out that a difficulty in the way of the treatment would be found in the fact that phthisis has no regnlar stage of incubation, like the other diseases in whioh innocu* lation has been successfully practised. The satisfactory results whioh have been derived in auoh oases are based upon a knowledge of

the exiot stage which the disease has reached, and inoculation has been applied so that the remedial agent has time to outrun the course of the original complaint. Dr Koch is the discoverer of bacillus of oholera, and in making that discovery known to the world he exercised the same cauticus reticence as he has shown in connection with his last and infinitely more important discovery. During his researches be. found that, contrary to his expectations, the bacillus of phthisis was not very tenacious of life, and succumbed immediately to extOßure to sunlight. Even ordinary day. light, too, was fouud to be fatal to it. Among the medical profession, the greatest interest ie taken in Dr Koch’s work, and it is declared t-bat if successful the system will be the greatest triumph that medical science has ever achieved.