COFFEE AS xu
the
editor,
"
A GERMICIDE.
Indian Medical Gazette."
the Statesman this morning, I article in it:?"For the great army of coffee-drinkers in India the experiments lately carried out by Dr. Luderitz, of Vienna, will have a Bpecial interest. Itis already well known what decided antiseptic, anti-neuralgic, and stimulant properties coffee has, and it is now proved that it is a formidable foe to the irrepressible microbe and bacillus. The experiment showed that a strong decoction of coffee would end the career of the bacillus of typhoid fever in about twenty-four hours, the active streptococcus of erysipelas in twelve hours, while three to four hours were sufficient to kill the malignant comma-bacillus of India's terrible scourge?cholera. Stronger decoctions acted more quickly still; the effects, however, are due more to the products of the roasting of the coffee than to caffein, the alkaloid of coffee. Coffee, indeed, is a valuable beverage at all times, but in times of cholera it is invaluable, and should be invariably taken before going out in the mornings. It need hardly be pointed out how valuable it is in malarial districts in preventing and checking fevers. Now, sir, if coffee really has the property of destroying the bacillus of typhoid fever, I think it would be a good thing to try it in our European military hospitals among the " cases of enteric fever, and the item " tea should be struck out of the diet table and " coffee " substituted. It would also perhaps be a good thing if an experiment were tried at some station where the whole garrison would receive coffee in their daily ration in lieu of tea, throughout the whole year, in order to see whether its use has really any effect in checking enteric fever. Perhaps Meerut would be a good station to select, as it is there that the late Dr. F. R. Hogg first brought cases to the notice of the profession in 1873; they occurred in A/G R. H. A. located in the Racket lines. I was the assistant and joined the battery at Deolali in February. I worked hard among the cases for two years, as somehow the cases seemed to occur only in this battery which had actually to march out into the district for three weeks during January 1875. In order to try and get rid of the disease, and to cheer up the men, we used to have a bonfire at night, sing songs, and take a little rum punch; the men were also encouraged to amuse themselves by shooting during the day.
Sir,?On looking through
read the
following
Apothecary, ?W7.
30th
~nr?
-1 on
May 1891,
Yours obediently, War. WESTON,^ In Medl. Charge, Remount DepSt,
Baboogliar.
the
editor,
"
A GERMICIDE.
Indian Medical Gazette."
the Statesman this morning, I article in it:?"For the great army of coffee-drinkers in India the experiments lately carried out by Dr. Luderitz, of Vienna, will have a Bpecial interest. Itis already well known what decided antiseptic, anti-neuralgic, and stimulant properties coffee has, and it is now proved that it is a formidable foe to the irrepressible microbe and bacillus. The experiment showed that a strong decoction of coffee would end the career of the bacillus of typhoid fever in about twenty-four hours, the active streptococcus of erysipelas in twelve hours, while three to four hours were sufficient to kill the malignant comma-bacillus of India's terrible scourge?cholera. Stronger decoctions acted more quickly still; the effects, however, are due more to the products of the roasting of the coffee than to caffein, the alkaloid of coffee. Coffee, indeed, is a valuable beverage at all times, but in times of cholera it is invaluable, and should be invariably taken before going out in the mornings. It need hardly be pointed out how valuable it is in malarial districts in preventing and checking fevers. Now, sir, if coffee really has the property of destroying the bacillus of typhoid fever, I think it would be a good thing to try it in our European military hospitals among the " cases of enteric fever, and the item " tea should be struck out of the diet table and " coffee " substituted. It would also perhaps be a good thing if an experiment were tried at some station where the whole garrison would receive coffee in their daily ration in lieu of tea, throughout the whole year, in order to see whether its use has really any effect in checking enteric fever. Perhaps Meerut would be a good station to select, as it is there that the late Dr. F. R. Hogg first brought cases to the notice of the profession in 1873; they occurred in A/G R. H. A. located in the Racket lines. I was the assistant and joined the battery at Deolali in February. I worked hard among the cases for two years, as somehow the cases seemed to occur only in this battery which had actually to march out into the district for three weeks during January 1875. In order to try and get rid of the disease, and to cheer up the men, we used to have a bonfire at night, sing songs, and take a little rum punch; the men were also encouraged to amuse themselves by shooting during the day.
Sir,?On looking through
read the
following
Apothecary, ?W7.
30th
~nr?
-1 on
May 1891,
Yours obediently, War. WESTON,^ In Medl. Charge, Remount DepSt,
Baboogliar.
