The Bacillus tuberculosis. 



123 



In the present communication I intend to bring forward some of 

 my anatomical researches in connection with scrofulosis and tuber- 

 culosis, as well as some observations of others, which will surely throw 

 grave doubts upon the correctness of Koch's view on the etiology of 

 tuberculosis, and also on the correctness of Koch's conclusions from 

 his own experiments. 



It seems to me that there are serious errors in Koch's work, and 

 that he has overlooked anatomical facts and pathological laws in 

 immediate connection with it, and has thus been led to misinterpre- 

 tation of his own results. He could not have been aware of this, as 

 it is not probable that he purposely would ignore established facts. 



Anybody can make errors in research. I must confess that I have 

 been several times disappointed in my own work in drawing and 

 announcing too hasty conclusions. I was sorry, but it was a useful 

 lesson, after all. The great men, however, can make mistakes just 

 as well as we little mortals. Men like Cohnheim have been caught 

 in serious blunders. Dazzled by his really immortal discovery of the 

 emigration of the white bloodcorpuscles, Cohnheim has also furnished 

 some researches the results of which could not be confirmed. I only 

 give this as an instance. Other great men have also made mistakes, 

 especially some of the French savants. Some of the latter are par- 

 ticularly good-natured, however, and do not mind contradicting them- 

 selves several times in one breath ; nevertheless they also publish 

 excellent work. Some of Cohnheim's experimental results were over- 

 thrown by our own young American workers x ). A great deal of good 

 work in pathology is done in America; but it is not sufficiently re- 

 cognized and encouraged by our own profession and by the teachers 

 in American medical schools. Admiration of European pathological 

 work is certainly justifiable; but this forms no reason why the good, 

 honest work of Americans, even that of young men, should be left 

 unnoticed. 



Before pointing out the deficiency in Koch's proofs of, and argu- 



*) Henry Wile, „The Pathogenesis of Secondary Tumors," Studies from the Pa- 

 thological Laboratory of the University of Pennsylvania, No. X., Philadelphia Medical 

 Times, July 29, 1882, etc. 



