DOCTORS AND TUBERCULOSIS

Wanganui Chronicle, 27 August 1901, Page 2

DOCTORS AND TUBERCULOSIS

PROFESSOR KOCH'S GREAT PAPER.

REPLIES OF OTHER SCIENTISTS.

By the lasb San. Francisco mail was received a verbatim copy of the startling paper by Professor Koch, in which he announced before the British Congress on Tuberculosis that the disease in human beings and that in cattle were radically different, knd not transferable from beast to man and vice versa. The paper proved to be the most sensational of this remarkable meeting. The scientist who had, first told the world of the tubercle bacillus, who taught the means of distinguishing the deadly bacillus in beast and in man, whose' revelations led to the stringent laws for the prevention of the spread of the "great white plague," and resulted in the condemnation of hundreds of thousands of animals for fear of the spread of disease from them to man, on July 23rd declared that experi- « ments had satisfied him that cattle could not be infected with human tuberculosis. The counter-proposition, that human being« were not liable to infection from bovine tuberculosisj- was harder to prove, said Dr. Koch, owing to the difficulty of experimenting on human subjects, but that personally he was satisfied such was the case. Dr. Koch said if this point were conceded it rendained to determine the chief source of contagion. Continuing, he said human immunity, to bovine infection disposed of tHe belief of infection through dairy products, and ihe considered this source of danger. so slight as to be unworthy of precautionary measures. Heredity was also an unimportant factor in the transmission of tuberculosis,' said the doctor, though the contrary had long been believed. Br> Koch 'said' the chief source of danger of contagion lay in the sputum of consumptive patients, and that a remedy was to be found in a law preventing the consumptive from strewing contagion about him. Several methods to this end were available, the surest of which being isolation in sanitoriums. This, unfortunately, was. impracticable,.bub he strongly urged the ■ establishment of special consumptive hospitals and the obligatory notification of the authorities of the existence of the disease, the disinfection of their residences' whenever consumptives changed their quarters, and,the dissemination of information ■ to the people concerning the true nature of consumption to aid an, avoiding and combatting it. ' Dr. Koch closed his remarks by expressing his belief that the ultimate stamping out of tuberculosis was possible. THE DISCUSSION". Earl Spencer (Chancellor of the Victoria University and .a "Vice-President of the Congress) severely criticised., Dr. Koch's, theory to the effect that humaS beings were immune from contagion from tuberculose cattle. Earl Silencer said he hoped this was true, but that he hoped more that the dissemination of such views would not tend to cause laxity on the jgart of dairymen and . cattle-owners, or less vigilance by the authorities charged with protecting, the consumers of milk. Professor John MacFadiean, of the Royal Veterinary College, read a paper on tuberculosis bacilli in milk as a source'of tuberculosis in man. He said that until Dr. Koch had declared himself in this connection to the contrary, it was'supposed to have been fully proved that human, and bovine tuberculosis were identical diseases. Profe&sor McFadican discussed the grounds on which Dr. Koch based his belief, contending that they were either not well founded or had little bearing upon the question, and he submitted arguments to prove that the strongest grounds remained for* regarding milk from tuberculose cows as distinctly dangerous to human beings. '■■ > Dr. Ravefal, of Philadelphia, gave, an instance of: the infection of ten' persons from tuberculose cattle, but;said he considerd such instances to be rare. . . ■ James King, a veterinary inspector of London, spoke before the Congress, attributing the large increase in the imported meat trade to the rigid inspection of homekilled cattle, and said a meat salesman assured him that the losses from condemned carcases were so great that the British dealers were forced to buy imported meat. Mr King dissented flatly frop Dr. Koch's . belief in the non-transmission, of bovine tuberculosis to humans, and urged the adoption of stringent measures in this respect to insure the healthfulness of imported carcases. He also urged a Government compensation for cattle destroyed under its orders,. in order thoroughly to stamp out tuberculosis from British herds, where., he declared, it was alarmingly prevalent. A cablegram from Berlin to. a NewYork paper says: —Professor Koch's. statement of his discovery regarding tubercuk>sis, as made before the Congress now in, session in London, has been received here; with some scepticism among jihysicians. Before the rejrolar proceedings of the Berlin Medical Society began, the members; discussed Professor Koch's address informally, dwelling. upon the faot that his present conclusion is diametrically opposite to his former position. Several members pointed out that his new theory was asserted by him with as much decisiveness as the old. In the course of the session Professor Virehow referred to Professor Koch's address in the following terms: — "Nothing remains for me but to maintain more positively than ever my view that the decisive thing in tuberculosis is the tuberculosis centre, 'tuberkelknoetehen,' which is fine pathological mark of tuberculosis, and not the baioillus, as such." STEPS TO PREVENT THE SP»EADj OF THE DISEASE. At the final meeting of the Cbngress on tuberculosis, resolutions were adopted in favour of legislation towards the suppression of expectoration in. public places, ani recommending the notification of the proper authorities in cases of ipKthisis and tits use of pocket spittoons, asserting these sanitary provisions were incUspensable in order to diminish tuberculosis. A resolution was adopted expressing the opinion of the Congress that the health officers should continue the effort to prevent the spread of tuberculosis through milk and" meat, and that, as doubts concerning; human immunity from bovine tuberculosis,, raised by Dr. Kodh, were of vital importance to the public health, and the agricultural interests of the country, the Government should immediately institute a rigid inquiry into the identity of human, and bovine tuberculosis. The appointment of a permanent international committee to collect evidence,, publish literature and recommend means, for the prevention of turberculosis ■was advocated. The members of. the committee are ito be named by the various Governments from natioal societies. PROFESSOR VIRCHOW'S CRITICISM. Professor Virohow, the well known scientist, after ihaving dissented at a meeting of the Berlin Medical Society from Dr. Koch's expressions in London, "has expressed still stronger dissent from these views in an interview, in which he said : ' rI am emphatciajly against Dr. Koch's deductions. He ignores everything we owe to the investigations and experiments of the Copenhagen School. The Commission 'of the Danish Government conducted the j most thorough) experiments, the results of which are ny>st fl|py contradicted by Dr. Koch. You cannot say 'Rome has spoken'because Dr. Koch is not Rome, and the.matter is far from being settled."