Prof. Koch's Method to Cure Tuberculosis Popularly Treated

by Max Birnbaum

All investigations, both of earlier and later date have established the fact that the tubercle-bacillus is inhaled with the air, and then it is mainly the foul air which is accused. But foul air is especially found in such places where people congregate, as in rooms, barracks, factories, etc. As it is a fact that there are always several consumptives among a number of people, so in this case there will always be occasion to inhale the tubercle-bacilli that have been cast out by the consumptives. Therefore it is not the foul air in itself which generates pulmonary consumption, but the circumstance that in this connection there are always people present which are able to spread and scatter the bacilli.

Luckily the physical qualities of the tubercle-bacilli are such that they mostly adhere to the ground or floor and are rarely scattered in the air as dust; otherwise pulmonary consumption would be much more frequent than it is at present. Unfortunately the bacilli are very often spread through uncleanliness of the people, because they touch objects with their fingers to which the tubercle-bacilli chance to stick and then they touch their mouth or nose with these fingers. In this way bacilli can be taken into the system especially easily with the food. Children are particularly exposed to contamination, crawling about on the ground, on which, perhaps but recently, a consumptive has spit, and more so because they often have the habit to put all sorts of things and also the generally dirty fingers into their mouth.

On the other hand there are various obstacles in the way of tubercle-bacilli entering the lungs. The distance from the mouth to the lungs is long and narrow; all sorts of projections check the further penetration of the bacilli. The trachea and the air-passages of the lungs possess equipments arranged for the purpose of ejecting small foreign substances, thus also to throw out the bacilli. In short it is not too easy a matter for the bacilli to penetrate into the lungs.

And yet this happens only too often. For instance, in some people the passage from the mouth down may be a wide one, so that the bacilli can enter more easily; the protective arrangement by which foreign substances are removed may be deranged, it may be wanting in some place or its functionary qualifications may be bad; especially frequent this is the case after enfeebling diseases, which are associated with severe cough, as measles, whooping-cough, etc. This is the reason why pulmonary consumption is strikingly often observed to follow just these diseases.

But the tubercle-bacillus can also enter the body with the food, as stated before. The acid gastric juice is a protective agent which considerably lessens the danger of infection by tuberculosis.

It has not been definitely decided at the present time whether the drinking of milk from tuberculous cows brings with it the danger of tuberculosis for mankind. It will certainly be best to avoid such milk, especially when the cow's udder is found to be tuberculously diseased or when tubercle-bacilli can be traced in the milk.

The use of meat as food may also become dangerous to man, but this is a rare occurrence. It is particularly dangerous to eat the liver, kidneys and lymphatic glands of tuberculous animals. The boiling heat while cooking generally destroys the bacilli contained therein and so lessens the danger from this source. It is of no little importance, to call particular attention to the fact that our chickens are very often severely infected with tuberculosis.

The question, whether a consumptive can infect his surroundings, may be answered thus, that this does not happen as a rule. Several unhappy circumstances must come together to make this possible. Above all things a direct transmission of tubercle-bacilli in some way into the body of the healthy person, then the bacilli must cling and propagate in the same, which is only possible when there is an inclination to this disease, of course this inclination is quite common.

Pulmonary consumption is not hereditary in the strict sense of the word. Only an inclination to this disease is transmitted. As the danger of contagion of those having such disposition is very great, so as a rule the disease makes its appearance sooner or later.

On the other hand it must be considered that the penetration only of the tubercle-bacilli into the body is not sufficient to generate tuberculosis. If they do not find the ground adapted to their nourishment and propagation they perish. It may be assumed that every person is placed in such circumstances at some time that he will take in tubercle-bacilli; but only a certain percentage will get consumption. In the remainder the bacilli perish without leaving even a trace.