For Humanity's Sake.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 45, 15 June 1914, Page 5

For Humanity's Sake.

MEW CONSUMPTION CURE* THE SPAHLINCER TREATMENT. We have been buoyed up with hops over and over again of late years by the announcement of alleged “cures” for tuberculosis, but with the exception of the Koch tuberculin, no modern specific can be said to have had much effect on the progress of the disease, and then the patient has to be “caught early.” Now, however, states the Sydney Daily Telegraph, comes news of what really looks to be a promising discovery, and should the results prove to be as stated, there will be joy iu many thousands of homes the world over. The information to hand is in the form of a cable to London newspapers under date April 29, from which it appears that, after spending £20,000 of his private fortune on his experiments, a young Swiss scientist, M. Spahlinger, has discovered what may prove to be a cure for consumption. A report on his method was read recently ,at the Academy of Medicine by Professor Letulle. It had been prepared and signed by Dr. Edmond Lardy, president of the Federal Board of Examiners in Medicine for the University of Geneva, and two English physicians, D* Colbeck, of the 'City of London Hospital for Diseases of the Chest, and Dr. Leonard Williams, of the French Hospital in London.

THE EFFECT ON THE PATIENT.

The Spahlinger treatment of tuberculosis consists of intramuscular injections of antigenic tubercle cultures and ferments. The treatment lasts five or six weeks for cases which are not far advanced, while several months are required when patients on whom the disease has obtained a hold are concerned. It is stated that “under the influence of the first injections a phase of depression is experienced by the invalid, the coughing increases, and the sick man feels completely out of spirits. Then improvement is expressed by a marked feeling of well-being; the patient’s strength returns little by little, and the cough diminishes; the expectoration -which had at first increased in volume decreases progressively, and during the last period of the treatment consists only of mucous secretions.” Eventually the bacilli disappear, it is claimed, the temperature comes down to normal, and the tuberculous cavities are totally dried up.

MANY ENCOURAGING RESULTS. Fifty-four persons suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis have been* treated, and 17 up to the present havq_ practically recovered from the disease, it is stated. The others are still under treatment. In less serious cases the patients. continued to follow their professional occupations, and were not laid up at all. It is also claimed that the Spahlinger method has had success in cases of lupus and tuberculous cervical ganglions. M. Spahlinger was originally a barrister in Geneva, hut attracted by the study of biology he gava up the law, and for the last four years he has been experimenting In his laboratories on behalf of suffering humanity. He is some 30 year* of age.

BE NOT TOO HOPEFUL. It is, of course, early days yet to accept the new “cure,” which, however, comes with much sounder credentials than that of Dr. Freidman, which caused such a furore. It has to be remembered that a comparatively small number of cases have so far been reported upon, and a still smaller proportion of these have been cured. Even if there bo a simple specific for consumption, and it should prove to be sucoessful in the direct treatment of the diseases, this does not necessarily prove its efficacy in clearing up the secondary conditions. In other words, most tuberculous cases -are not only affected by tuberculosis, but also by the secondary infection of other micro-organisms, and the difficulty is to find an anti-tub-erculosis treatment which will also effectively clear up these secondary infectious conditions, and thus establish a real and permanent cure. It is not advisable, therefore, to base too hopeful expectations, upon any all eged cure until it had been tested in fairly large number of cases and over a reasonable period of time, so'as to determine the permanence and time value of the cure. But all things considered, the new specific promises well, and affords reason for hope of its ultimate success. It is claimed for it that it causes the ca vities to dry up, eradicates all traces of bacilli, and stops the fever three results which have never before been obtained by any one system.