DOCTOR FRIEDMANN.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1097, 15 May 1913, Page 4

DOCTOR FRIEDMANN.

REPORT ON CURE

Washington, May 9

The Government report on Dr. Friedmann’s consumption cure is unfavourable. It criticises the wide publicity given to the cure on Dr. Friedmann’s behalf before its efficacy has been definitely established.

The report states that further observations are necessary before a final verdict on the alleged cure is possible.

SCENES IN NEW YORK. THOUSANDS FRANTICAEEY DEMANDING SERUM. A New York message to the San Francisco Call on March 6th stated Dr. Friedmann gave his first treatment to patients on this side of the Atlantic to-day to a woman and two men at the People’s Hospital, ro3, Second Avenue. Some of the 40 physicians who attended the clinic came out expressing frank disapproval of Dr. Friedmann’s training in bacteriology. Others denounced him angrily for selecting patients whose cases were, they said, not fair tests of the serum. Others felt that all judgment should be suspended to await results. With nearly all the hospitals barred to him and with thousands of sufferers frantically demanding the use of the serum, the city menaced by scores of the white plague victims arriving daily on trains from all parts of the country, Dr. Friedmann turned to-day to the humble little East Side house of healing. The members Of the house staff and a number of other physicians had been notified. Physicians who called at the hospital were requested to bring tuberculosis patients. Nearly 50 men and womep afflicted with consumption were waiting in the operating theatre when Dr, Friedmann, his brother Arthur, and his assistant, Dr. Benjamin, arrived. There was a little unpleasantness at the start. Dr. Friedmann said be would select thrpe patients for the first experiments. He was very nervous and excited, and seemed impatient of suggestions, Three bad cases of consumption were submitted, but Dr. Friedmann wanted nothing to dp with them. He finally selected a Miss Berger, of whom Dr. Sirovich said that she was convalescent and had a record of gaining five pounds a month forsome time; a Mr Stiegal, 40 years

old, and a young relative of the head of the hospital, named Laudesman, both of whom, according to several of the physicians, bad only slight cases of short duration. When time came for the inoculation Dr. Friedmann produced a hypodermic syringe, which was at once objected to by the physicians of the clinic as so unclean as to be unfit for use. A syringe was produced from the hospital stock. Dr. Friedmann took it in his hands before they were sterilised. A physician called his attention to this fact, and Dr. Friedmann explained that he was very nervous and thanked him for the caution. The atmosphere of the clinic had become distinctly unfriendly by the time the third patient had been inoculated. Dr. Sirovich declared frankly to everybody that Dr. Friedmann did not himself have confidence in his serum, and was not sincere in his representation of its virtues.

A vigorous defence and a plea for fair play for Dr. Friedmann was made on March 7th by Dr, Max Landesmaun, head ot the people’s hospital, where Dr, Friedmann made his first American demonstration of his tuberculosis serum. Dr. Laudesmaun is a specialist in tuberculosis. He declared he had an entirely open mind regarding the efficiency of the serum, and demanded that the interests of humanity bespeak a trial for Dr. Friedmann. From the board of health came the following statement : 11 The commissioner wishes it to be understood that he is not in any way hindering any of Dr. Friedmann’s efforts to prove the value of his serum. He hopes that Dr. Friedmann’s estimate is justified. Dr. Lederrle will do anything in his power to aid Dr. Friedmann to establish by fair tests any merit his serum may have.”

Dr. Julius Border appealed to Dr. William H. Park, director at the research laboratory, asking him to co-operate with the County Medical Society in stopping all Dr. Friedmann’s activities. ‘T believe that he is not only insincere, but a bungler,” said Dr. Broder. ‘‘He is a menace to the public health.”