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The Gibbes-shurley Consumption Case

The Gibbes-shurley Consumption Case image
Parent Issue
Day
27
Month
January
Year
1891
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Drs. Gibbes and Shurley were tendered a reception in Chicago by the physicians last Friday night. Previous to the reception they explained their experiments. The Chicago Tribune says: Dr. E. L. Shurly, of Detroit, and Dr. Heneage Gibbes, of Ann Arbor University, Michigan, discussed their theory regarding a cure for tuberculosis, and described their experiments to a large audience of Chicago physicians last evening at the Post-Graduate Medical College at No. 95 Plymouth place. It is quite clear that a great deal of interest is being taken in Chicago in the theories advanced by these men and the discoveries they have made. They were the guests of the PostGraduate Medical College. Dr. Earte called the meeting to order, and proposed Dr. N. S. Davis as chairman. This met with the approval of all, and Dr. Davis without further ceremony introduced Dr. Gibbes, mentioning the fact that the doctor in addition to his connection with the Michigan University had been sent to África some years ago by the English government :o investígate cholera germs. Dr. Gibbes is a middle-aged man oí large physique and wears a heavy aeard. He talks rapidly and gives 3ne the impression he has thorough[y mastered his subject. His audi:nce listened with deep interest. Dr. Gibbes said that pulmonary Dhthisis is a general term for all iiseases of the lungs, and said that ie differed with those who held to :he unity theory of tuberculosis, ríe argued that there are two forms }f the disease. One he called inlammatoryand the other tuberculus. The inflammatory form, he said, was af a pneumonic nature and ended in :onsolidation. The matter collectng in the lung formed a clot and aecame dangerous. The tuberculus :ondition he said was a growth. It vas peculiar that it started from one Dr two tubercles. As one feature of ihe latter form he called acute miliiry tuberculosis. The doctor thought it would be a good idea if some chemist would nterest himself and discover the dif"erence between the kinds of substance forming in the lungs. He leid that if the bacillus is the virus of the disease or the cause it was absent in the early stages. The speaker then explained that Dr. Shurly and himself had proceeded upon the theory that the cause of the destruction is some morbid chemical formation and that it was necessary to antagonize it with a chemical that would destroy it. Disregarding the bacterian theory, he said they had gone to work to find a chemioal that would produce the result desired. Then Dr. Shurly took up the story. He said it was a hard thing to explain away the belief that the bacillus is the specific cause of all the various forms of pulmonary tuberculosis. It was the commonly accepted theory. He said every form of the disease was accredited to the bacilli when it is not reasonable. He suggested that soraething else than the bacilli might be responsible. He said that they proceeded on the theory that a poison generated in the lungs caused the inflammation, and told of the experiments with gases to stop the destruction and separation of the tissues. He spoke of the chlorine experiment, the chlorine water, and how they finally drifted to iodine, then chloride of gold and sodium. He gave interesting accounts of their experiments on guinea pigs and monkeys, which the doctors apparently enjoyed. A short discussion followed, in which Drs. Ingals, Hollister, Babcock, Holmes, and Curtis took part.