The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 12, 1905, Page 5

THE S N.- FRANCISCO SUNDAY cent remarks Paris to be weighe jous- done hed the ness than mi t have b news of his discov S m some other source. When the German savant recited to his eager listeners he congress his strongest convictions as to the merits of his Aaiscoveri mildly re ed its members that they had 1at they would t case. In fac not as yet thor- the human most satis- ments in the t be prepared he might expec in the prese reviewing his pa ering = period of more than two years, [0 SULLSLRESESITEITIIIS the schools and colleges , and the what can we W or too preoccupied for public and realize rs and not for us. ay ¥ 4 is never N ely away from any man who s to make the most of him- re real culture even if re of the schools. gate impres- ly transterred to -dsworth speaks and any sarely at g his path from gleans both informa- ti piration. 1 have seen chil- ére quet ground stop the game for a moment while all gazed in admira- e unusual tints in the western n hastening along a thorough- get some upward impuise from riosities and treasures of shop SOSEGS000%: ON SNATCHES OF EDUCATION > fessor said that he had been rorced conclusion that there exists an te curative principle, entirely dif- from what is known as the anti- which he appeared so deeply in- about fifteen y 'S ago. I 1g the course ¥ remarks bef e s Professor Behring explained new principle deals with the tubercu virus, which he P » break up. Briefly his plan of has been as follows: The and then stripped of each wholly and one that has so his experiments with v us animajls. His promise'to have a more definite report as to the curative effects of his on the human race eleven ce was not received with a of enthusiasm by his fellow sts, for they are a pecullar lot o not relish the idea of accepting the results of scientific research In a piecemeal way. But, as stated before, the congress showed its respect for Professor Behring’s well-known ability end former achievements and seeming- 1y shared with him his hope that his present work -would end in a solution of the great scientific problem that has troubled the world for centuries and which some day promises relief to the many sadly aflicted men, women and children in all parts of the universe. It is an accepted theory among the noted scientists of the world that the day is not far distant when a cure for umption will have been discovered, and this fact has had a tendency to in- crease the confidence in the work of Professor Behring. Few of us have probably ever given a serjous thought to the ravaging effects of consumption n the population of the world and t it means to the future genera- tions. To the men of science the disease ranks with the horrors of war in its progress of devastation. To counteract its effects has resolved itsell into asgreat soclal problem that the larger of the nations have been forced to recognize. Millions of dollars are now being an- ly expended on the two continents far it re- on u windows—at least some of the shop dows. I like to see street gamins 1g before & respectable book or art and calling one another’s attention e Madonnas and londscapes and pret- ings. What are eves in qur heads for unless be used for interests of enlightenment? Harvard University about a ‘quarter of a century ago & young man-was study- ing, athletic aid soclally popular, but dis- tinguished even then among his class- mates from the fact that he usually had a bock about his person which he would be reading whenever he had a few minutes to spare. After his graduation he went West to rough it a while, and there on the ranches it was observed by his companione how fond he was of books and how constantly they were in his hands. And the other day a magazine published a list of books which this same man had read witnin a few months in the Intervals between attending to his somewhat onerous duties as President of the United States. The list included not only many of the choicest recent books in all departments of litergture, but not a few classical and standard volumes as well. And Mr. Roosevelt is not the only man by any means who has broadened himself through snatch of literature, read at odd times. Think of the men of “[EEWeRLDS AT (URE® THE INTERNATIONAL CONGEEN ON TUBERCULOSTS 1N FREL. in an effort to combat the disease, but €0 far the work in this direction has only progressed to a certain point. In a practi way the various govern- ments of the civilized portion of the world have succeeded in enlightening their subjects in the matter of needed precautions and’care and by this means have succceded to some extent in lessening the annual ~mortality and sisting materially in relieving the sufferings of those who are hopelessly afficted with tuberculosis. But beyond this point nothing has been developed the complete an- that will guarantee nihilation of the tubercle bacillus. Medical men, howevel, claim that all Gisecses that depend upon a germ, tu- berculosis among them, will some day be me: with a cure. The theory has already demonstrated its force in smallpox and milder forms of germ disease, and why not consumption? Professor Behring confidently de- clares he will be able in August next to make a satisfactory demonstration of the curative effects of his remedy. He asks the world to walt and its peo- ple yield In due deference to his scien- tific’ wisdon. No disease has attracted more atten- tion In the world of sclence than tu- berculosis. To this awful quarter of the deaths in hemispheres are ~annually charged. There is consequently little wonder that sclentists are concentrating their efforts toward finding a cure. A posi- tive cure for the destructive disease will bring to its discoverer emoluments seldom if ever earned by man. In Bra- zil there awaits the man who can find a means of bafiing the attacks of ‘tu- bercle bacillus a fortulle of $2,000,000, which was left by a millionaire as a reward to the discoverer, whoever he may prove to be. In England, France, Germany and Russia substantial pen- sions have been provided for the suc- cessful scientist, and It is almost cer- tain that the Unfted States Govern- ment will show its appreciation of the much needed discovery by handsomely rewarding the man who is responsible for it. But greater than all these promised rewards will be the gratitude of the human race bestowed on the discoverer of a.consumptive cure. According to history consumption has been raging for generations § distinction who, as lads, after a hard Qay’'s work in the field or the shop, busjed themselves in their beloved books throughout the long evening hours, some- times with only a tallow dip to light their way over the pages. We might learn more than we do by imitating others, for example is always better than precept. It always makes me walk more erect, at least for a few min- utes, 10 meet a man with the carriage of a soldier. And every day we come in con- tact with persons superior to us, not only physically, but in intellecjual and moral traits, too. We ought to be humble and pliant enough in spirit to study and imi- tate their best qualities. How do chil- Gren learn anything? Largely through imitation. It has been said that a child learns more In the first four years of his life than {n any similar subsequent period. He learns by watching how other people use their arms and legs and tongues. And life, after all, is the great !du- cator, and the varied and sometimes eventful experience of every successive twenty-four hours may teach us some- thing If we will but-heed their monition. As we live and work with othe we marry and give In marriage; as we work and as we play: we suffer and as scourge a the two volved in situations and processes which are meant to refine and develop us. THB PARSON. « angeS i through the races of the globe. More than 400 years before the beginning of the Christian era the disease was at- tracting comment. Professor Alfred Hillier, in one of his books, which was revised by Professor Koch, quotes sev= eral of the early Greek writers upon the disease, known In its commonest form as phthisis. A description of the disease is found, In the writings of Hippocrates, the father of Greek medi- cihe, who Tived in the Periclean times and had as a contemporary Socrates. The Greek medicos referred frequently to the infectious character of the dis- ease and that this view was an accepted one among the Greeks is shown in one particular case where Isocrates, on be- half of a client, who sought his father’'s estate, laid stress on the fact that the son had faithfully nursed his parent through a long and fatal attack of phthisis, notwithstanding the warning of friends that those who nursed in this disease often succumbed to it them- selves. In short the Greek opinions of phthisis were comparatively those of the modern sclenfists and continued so down through many centuries into the middle ages, where an Arabian physi- clan is discovered with a definite idea of the infectivity of the disease, to which he refers to in a remark to'the effect that “there are many diseases, which are taken from man to man like phthisis.” When Europe undertook the more care- ful study of anatomy and pathology after the Renaissance, literature furnished more frequent and accurate records of the disease. 1t was in the middle of the sev- enteenth century that nodules found in the lungs were first referred to as “tu- bercles” and out of that term grew the word tuberculosis. In the latter part of 1600 the English sclentists formally ac- cepted the existence of tubercle as a pathological evidence of the disease of the lungs and it was about this time that the medical men of Ttaly, thoroughly be- lleving ip the "infectivity of phthisis, caused to be enacted laws that would pre- vent the spread of l}:e disease and in the following century hospital was bullt at Olivuzza for the exclusive use of con- sumptives, who were concentrated there with the view of frustrating a possible epidemic. So strong was the view of the Italians of the infectlous character of tuberculosis that they took precautions against it, similar to those now taken in the cases of epidemics of other diseases. Although at that particular period a world-wide interest had been aroused in the disease, it was not until the early part of the last century that an experiment by Klencke satisfied ‘the medical world as regards the infectiousness: of phthisls. TTubercular material injected Into a rab- bit's jugular vein developed tuberculosis of the liver and lungs twenty-six weeks later. i 3 The theory that tuberculosis was a spe- cific infectious disease remained the gen- erally accepted theory untl thirteen years ago. when Professor Koch, by micro- scopic experiments, upset the long held ideas of his colleagues by proving that a germ was responsible for tuberculosis. Briefly Professor Koch's proven theory was that without the entrance of this par- ticular germ into the human body from without, tuberculosis cannot thrive with- in, and ‘without the transmission of this germ in someé way or other, in a living condition, from. the sick to the well, tuber- culosis cannot spread. Professor Koch’s experiments with tu- ebercle bacilli weére most exhaustive and the results he secured are yet to be re- futed by the ablest bacteriologists of the world. While he did not obtain a cure for consumption he furnished the world with _demornstrations that have proved most valuable since in furthering the many projects for combating it and rendering relief to the unfortunate as well as en- couraging deeper probirg into the scten- tific question as to the ultimate means for ridding the world of the germ of the dis- ease. « In support of the claim that tubercu- losis is a preventable disease Professor Koch has said that the bacilli are not CALL. TEMYT NSUMPTION\ BY W L.BROWNI - only the cause of tuberculosis, but they are the only cause of it; and that'there is no tuberculosis without bacilll. Follow- ing along these lines and with the results obtained by Professor Koch in his ex- perinents as a guidance, the scientific world, encouraged by governmental aid, is now striving to find a method for ex- terminating the tubercle germ and event- ually diminishing the awful rate of mor- tality that follows in the wake of that dangerous micro-organism, 3 It is estimated that within the borders of the United States there are 1250000 cases of consumption that are furnishing ean annual death rate of 150,000. From these flgures it has been deducted that out of the country’s total population of 75,000,000 at least 10,000,000 persons are doomed to die from consumption. Another bit of startling information is found in a recently prepared paper, which states that 99 per cent of the human race, dying after attaining the age of thirty years, show lesions of tuberculosis on’ post-mortem examinations. The same au- thority makes the statement that The re- sults of 600 post-mortem examinations of persons who had dled of various diseases -in the large hospitals of the world, were as follows: That tuberculosis is seldom. found in the first year of life. : That from the first to the fifth year T LOUGTAETIN. A0 PROFEMCREIIL VON BEHEING = ~ - average of sumption occur. TO ,a lite it Is infrequent, but aimost regu- larly fatal, That from the fifth to the fourteenth year one-third of all the bodies examined were found to be tuberculous. From the fourteenth to the eighteenth year tubercular lesions, active or latent, were found in one-half of all the autop- Vs rom the eighteenth to the thirtieth year 9 per cent of all the bodies showed tubercular changes. It has beén found by investigation that one-half of the deaths in England between the ages of 25 and 35 are caused by con- sumption. Look where you may, you will find consumption slowly destroying the living capital of the countries. Parents expend large sums in rearing and educat- ing their children and naturally look to the future for the capital that their off- spring will produce. But the parental hopes and ambitions are often blighted by the death of the offspring of consump- tion just as he is about to embark om life’s career. o Dr. Biggs, a noted authority of New York, claims that the expense of con- sumption to the people of this country is $330,000,000. He gained this estimate by figuring the loss to New York City, plac- ing a value of 31500 on each life of the age at which deaths from con- Thus he arrived at the conclusion that the total value of lives lost each year is $1,500,000. To this amount he adds $5.000.0w, he having figured that for nine months prior to his death the unfortunate victim of tuberculosis is un- able to work and the loss of services, reckoned at $1 a day, to which is added $150, the estimated cost of food, attend- ance and medicines, brings the actual loss to the city up to $25,000,000. The same rule of reckoning is followed by Dr. Biggs-in determining the loss of $39,000,- 000 to the nation. The modern methods of prevention, among them the out-door or fresh-air cure, such as is now being encouraged by this Government and those of Eng- land, Germany and France, is expected to greatly diminish this frightful death rate and lessen the enormous expense that attends it. It is conceded that the fight against tuberculosis is not a fight against disease alone, but also famine, for pauperism Is known to have no mors productive source than _tuberculosis, which destrovs the sinew of the country and deprives parents of their npatural dependency when their offspring are cut down In the prime of life. “If, then,” declared one of the leading spirits In the movement In Loudon to ald In_the prevention of consumption, “war, pestilence and famine be the great- est foes of mankind, there Is nothing which will go further toward their even- tual overthrow in the clvilized world than enlightened public efforts, directed to the extinction of tuberculosis.” It ts possible that Professor Behring's present undertaking may end In this achlevement. He has the ability and éx- perience and also the confidence of & man who feels that he 1S on the verge of a great discovery that bodes health and happiness to a world of people and greater stability to their respective gov- ernments. In his statement before the Paris convention Professor Behring im- pressed upon the minds of his colleagues that he has nothing to conceal in com- nection with his experiments with tubercle bacilli, and that he will with- hold nothing in the event of his finally discovering a Dermanent cure for con= sumption. He simply made what some have been pleased to term a premature disclosure regarding his experiments with a view of interesting fellow-scientists in the subject and with the hope that they will be prepared to give credence to whatever statement he makes publia when his present task has been finished. Professor Behring enjoys the high re- gard of his Emperor as a sclentist, a fact that evidenced In 1901, when he recelved the predicate “von™ to his name. He is comparatively a yodng man, being only 51 years of age. He received his degree In medicine in B lin in 1378 and entered on his profes- slonal career as an army _surgeon. Eventually he was appointed to the Hyglenlc Institute from which he was transferred to the Institute for Ipfec- tious Diseases In 1391 “in 1394 he be- came professor of hygleme at the Uni- versity of Halle and the following year moved to the Strassburg Unive ity, where he became professor of hygienic institute. One of the professor's most notable achievements in the way of science, and one tiat afforded the world much com- fort, was his discovery of the anti- diphtheria serum, as was the case at the recent congress in Paris the medi- cal fraternity was loth to credit his announcement. but did so four years later. when Professor Roux, in a lec- ture in Budapest, formally indorsed the discovery. In 1390 France recognized Professor Behring’s skill by presenting him with a substantial money prize and later the Paris Institute attested its belief in the results of his sclentific researches by a gift of 5000 francs. As an author of works on diphtheria and other infectious diseases, he stands high in his profession and to-day he is regarded as the most Iikely of scientific scholars to solve the problem of how the world is to stay the progress of one of the direst diseases known to man.