THE TREATMENT OF CONSUMPTION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1647, 14 January 1913, Page 8

THE TREATMENT OF CONSUMPTION.

DOCTORS* RECOMMENDATIONS,

PUBLIC DISPENSARIES.

STATEMENT BY HON. R. H. RHODES.

!By Telegraph—Press Association.) Auckland, January 13. Tho recommendations made by tho Conference of Medical Men held in Wellington on tho treatment of consumption, will bo published shortly. Tho Hon. K. H.

Rhodes stated to-night that there will bo no delay in giving effect to tho advice of tho conference. The methods adopted include tho establishment of public dispensaries for combating the disease. Mr. Rhodes added that upon the announcement of Professor Friedmnnn's treatment he had cabled to the High Commissioner asking for full information. If the treatment was as effective as had been reported, a supply of yaccine would be secured without delay. ■..'.-■•

WONDERFUL RESULTS,

PROFESSOR FRIEDMANN'S DISCOVERY.

Continental medical journals contain details of Professor Friedmann's cure for 'consumption, which has caused more interest in medical circles' than any discovery for a long time past, and is of such vital interest to the whole civilised worid. Professor Friedmana read a paper on the subject before the Berlin Medical Association on November 8 last, giving many interesting details of cases treated and cures effected. In all previous preparations for the. euro of consumption, from the time of Koch, he said, the bacilli nsed had been of a virulent and strongly toxic character, and on account of their -very nature they were calculated to do injury to the organism and also to the materials which constituted the element in opposition- to the tuberculosis.' He then sot to work to develop a living bacillus' of natural non-virulence and non-toxic, which would bo harmless if taken in large doses, and serve for innocuous stimulation to tho resistenco of the disease. He conducted very extensive experiments, and when he had succeeded in eliminating from his curative.bacillus the last traces of virulence, he applied it to human beings. First of all he subjected,himself to repeated injections, then he treated ad nit tubercular Bubjects, and then children. ■ ■-'

Up to the time the paper-was- read. Professor had treated 1182 persons, and the preparation. had ,proved to be inocuous in every form of application, subcutaneous, intra-muscular; and intra-venous. Tho course of treatment now followed by him consisted in the intramuscular incorporation of the bacillus, the injections being given .once, twice, oi thrice—se\dom more often—at increasing intervals; The efficacy of the . treatment depended upon the complete absorption of tho preparation. It was only, when and while-tho injected Temedy was completely absorbed; and remained'in the body, that the specific remedial .operations made themselves markedly. manifest. This ■usually occurred very soon, and in tho conditions mentioned had. ■ continued steadily. '- . .

Amongst tho effects which, he said, had been: obtained with tho injection of only !a,single dose had been the drying up ..to ft jscab of tubercular abscesses. Those suffering from phthisis of the lung hod lost all their ailments, and the,physical signs of disease had disappeared. As far as lung tuberculosis was concerned, where the disease had 'not advanced too far, a decline of the symptoms'was quickly shdwn on application of the remedy. Obviously, in .cases where death was, near at hand, or large caverns existed in tho lungs, with perhaps various complications, tho •patients could'not be saved. Out of 250 sufferers treated for lung tuberculosis, ho had been unable to save six very advanced cases, though at the start a pronounced improvement had been noticeable.

In mono of the cases referred to had tho patient had • th© advantage of rest under good nursing,' such as well-to-do p.eo'plo would have, inasmuch as they belonged almost exclusively to the working classes. '. The patients wcro engaged in strenuous physical labour—sonic of TKem working 10 hours a day—and in no caso was a working patient .required, on account of the injection, to give up his ordinary occupation. There were others who had been unable to work for months, yet within a few weeks of the first injection were able to resume work. Another ' striking thing was the regular increase in the appetite for food after the first injection, somo of tho sufferers declaring that they, became ravenously hungry. Further, tho cough and expectoration diminished and died away.

One of the most interesting of Professor Friedmann's statements was that his remedy had been used to vaccinate chfMron to secure immunity against, tuberculosis. | In all, 335 children, aged from one hour to three years, had been vaccinated, tho vaccination consisting of a single intramuscular injection. It.had proved absolutely harmless, and had been conducted under the closest scrutiny of the medical officers of maternity institutions, who had thoroughly satisfied themselves that there was nothing injurious in the treatment, and that the healthy development of the children was in no wise impaired. These children were kept under, skilled surveillance, and were regularly examined by doctors. In none of _ these cases, ■ which included some in which, there was every reason to expect a hereditary tendency towards tuberculosis, had .any symptoms of tho disease become manifest. Many of the parents and somo of the brothers and 6isters of these children wero sufferers from tuberculosis. In a discussion that followed, Professor Friedmann stated that his remedy was not of the nature of the weakened bacilli of human tuberculosis, but represented a non-virulent culture. The German name given to it by him is a combination of four words—"tortoise-tabercle-bacillus-cul-ture." . I .. ■ ,