TUBERCULOSIS TREATMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 July 1922, Page 3

TUBERCULOSIS TREATMENT.

; THE SPAHLINGER SERUM. I ®?- r, ’ OPTION FOR AUSTRALIA . London, May 23. The visit to Australia House of the eminent Swiss biologist, M. Spahlinger, who, it is hoped, has made the greatest discovery of the century with his treatment for the prevention and cure of tuberculosis, brings to light the fact that for several months the Australian Government has been investigating the new cure. Recently Dr. Mossis and Dr. Isaac Jones, an Australian doctor who is one of the leading biological chemists of • England, visited M. Spahlinger’s laborsj tories at Geneva and reported to the i Commonwealth Government, which is i now understood to be thoroughly inves- [ tigating the process with the view of i securing the rights for use of the serum I in Australia. ; M. Spahlinger, in a discussion with a i representative of the Sydney Sun, made I it clear that his laboratory was working to full capacity, but it was unable Ito supply vaccine or serum until the establishment was enlarged. He most strongly emphasised that he was un- , able to treat individuals. M. Spahlinger is anxious not to raise false hopes, and points out that it is futile for sufferers to write even to Europe for treatment. As a matter of fact, if the present negotiations are successful, patients will actually have in Australia an earlier opportunity of securing treatment than anywhere else in the world, becaube the Australian authorities were the first to recognise | the importance of the cure, this result- | ing in M. Spahlinger giving to the | Commonwealth the first option, though | several other countries are now endeav- i oring to secure supplies of serum. The value of the concession is evident from the fact that if Australia receives supplies other countries cannot, because the amount of vaccine and serum that can be produced is limited by M. Spahlinger’s personal capacity and by financial considerations. One leaves M. Spahlinger with four thoughts uppermost in one's mind: Of his youthful appearance—he is only 2S years of age; of his not being a doctor, but a scientist; of his modest hope that no one will accept his process without thoroughly investigating it; and of the extraordinary possibility of Australians being vaccinated against tuberculosis by a similar method to that for smallpox.

M. Spahlinger is a native of Switzerland, and has been carrying out experiments in Geneva, where leading British specialists visited him in 1921. The central idea of his treatment is the mixture of a number of antitoxins (or serums) prepared from several animals. It is claimed that the combination of several vaccines has effected cures. The serum takes about four years to prepare, and a very small amount of it is available. M. Spahlinger was present at the Anti-Tuberculosis Conference, held in London last July, but was not invited to expound his views.