SPAHLINGER TREATMENT

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11785, 22 March 1924, Page 9

SPAHLINGER TREATMENT

REPORT TO RED CROSS BY HON. DR. COLLINS. At the executive meeting of the New Zealand Red Cross Society recently, the chairman, the Hon. Or. W. Collins, gave the following report of his investigations of the Spahlinger treatment for tuberculosis as investigated by him while in Europe: Early in November, 1922, the executive of the Red Cross received a letter from Sir James Allen, High Commissioner for New Zealand, urging the Red Cross to subscribe some money to help M. Spahlinger to carry on hie methods of treatment. As you know, the following cable was sent to the British Red Cross by mo: “Are your medical advisers satisfied from clinical experience of success Spahlinger treatment? Is there any contrary important medical opinion?” To which the following reply was received : ‘ ‘Medical advisers not quite satisfied. They desire further clini cal experience.” No steps could then be taken.

On my late visit to England I determined to investigate methods of treatment. I had the hon our also to be asked by the Government of New Zealand to investigate the treatment officially on its hehall I have sent the Government from time to time a series of reports. On my arrival in England I called on Sir George Newman, Chief Medical Officer of Health to the Ministry of Health, Sir A. Stanley, chairman, British Red Cross, Sir Napier Burnett, medioal adviser to the Red Cross, Rii G. Buchanan and several other medical men. The general impression con veyed to my mind as the result ol these interviews wae that there war something to be said in favour of M. Spahlinger’s treatment. I visited Geneva on May ISth, 1923, and was there for one week. I carefully examined some 12 cases. Mr Spahlin ger took me over his extremely well equipped laboratory at Carouge Geneva, where he carries out his bacteriological work. He is not a medical man. M. Spahlinger is recognis ed as a bacteriologist. After examiu ing the patients 1 felt driven to the conclusion that the treatment was »' valuable one, and in advance of an; form of tuhercului treatment in vogue up to the present time. There is no doubt that some, but not advanced, cases of tuberculosis recover without much in the way oi treatment. Other more serious cases recover wholly or for a time undesanatoria and other forms of treat ment, but in some of the cases I ex amined, the patients had been unde/ such other methods of treatment for considerable period of time, and only came under M. Spahlinger’s treat ment as a last resort, and in some cases were cured and in others greatlybenefited. With regard to surgic ■! tuberculosis, M. Spahlinger’s treatment has been very successful, but. possibly the results are not better than in those cases which have beer treated by heliotherapy. M. Spah linger’s treatment seems to have this in its favour, that the people can be treated in their own homes, ever though the hygienic conditions ra; not be good. The cases I examined in Geneva made a great impression on me bm they had not been under my persona' care and observation. However, very considerable importance must be attached to the reports of patients under the oare of Drs. Golbeck, Stephani. Lardy, Leonard Williams, Bernard Hudson -and others (there reports have appeared in either the “8.N.,” or “Lancet”), hut what appears to me to be most important of all is the carefully considered statement in the recent report (fourth annual report of the Minister for Health. 1D22-23. pages 4 -and 6) of the Minister foi Health in which it says the conclusions arrived at were that “although it is not yet possible to express an opinion from a bacteriological standpoint, the clinical results fully warrant further investigations as soon as the snpply of complete serum is available.’' Also that further investigation is “most desirable.” Clinical results are what sufferers want.

M. Spahlinger has not had the means of supplying a complete serum since 1914, owing to the look of funds. M. Spahlinger studied medicine for three years but gave it up for personal" reasons. 1 believe that all those who have met M. Spahlinger regard him as a very honourable man, with high ideals and a skilful bacteriolopst. He has devoted his life to lacteriology, and is a self-taught bacteriologist with very original ideas. He has spent about £BO,OOO of his own money in equipping Mb up-to-date laboratory he has never accepted fees for his treatment and remedies, but now since he is hard pressed foi money, he is prepared to accept donations to his institute in order to try and keep going. M. Spahlinger is very willing to show anyone, bacteriologist, medical man, or layman over his laboratory, and explain his own inventions but he will not, for reasons which many believe sound and justifiable, reveal how he extracts Ms toxins from tho tubercle bacillus.

I append herewith a brief summary : —M. Spahlinger commenced Ms treatment about 1910 or 1911. He had then produced hia complete serum composed as he says of 22 different antitoxins and his vaccines. He claims for hia methods that: 1. Practically there is no danger to the patients. The serum can he taken hy injection or mouth. 2. Patients can he treated in their own homes, and not necessarily have to go to sanatoria. He claims as his results that:—l. He has cured guinea pigs (most susceptible of animals). 2. He has vac cinated cattle (10 in number), and thereby prevented them from developing tuberculosis when subsequently inoculated with living tubercle bacilli. 3. In 1912, 1913, 1914, when he had his complete sera, his sera for mixed infections, and his vaccines, he treated many cases of (a) surgical tuber culosis and lupus; (b) pulmonary tuberculosis. With tho result that many of those treated then are well now and able to follow their usual avocations.

Since 1914 he has only been able to mako a partial sera with which ho has done good work. Sir James Allen, High Commissionei for New Zealand, has endeavoured to set M. Spahlinger to come to some rind of an agreement with a view to raising money in New Zealand to help him in hia work, hut he declines to enter with any moral or legal obligation.

Mr Massey, prior to the Medioal Conference, approached tho president of the New Zealand branch of the 8.M.A., and asked that the conference at its meeting should set up a committee to peruse and examine the information I have collected from a medical point of view, and report to him later. Tho Medical Council accepted Mr Massey’s suggestion, and has set up a committee. It will be for this committee to say, after perusing the information I shall place before ,them whether M. Spahlingcr’s claims are warranted. From a recent cable published in the press it would appear that M. Spahlinger has now approached the British Government with a view to obtaining some assistance whereby he may produce his sera and vaccines for the purposes of further investigation^