When weakness became a strength
The French scientists who attenuated tuberculosis, and turned it on itself
Tuberculosis (TB) – known as ‘consumption’ because the patient’s flesh seemed to melt aYa[ s Yas an even greater killer than smallpox. The infection destro[s the lunIs couIhinI up blood is a common s[mptom and can spread to the Midne[s bones and brain $efore the discover[ of the poYerful antibiotic streptom[cin in
the diaInosis of tuberculosis Yas often a death sentence Yhich the Yealth[ lived out in sanatoria high in the Alps where the clear mountain air Yas marMeted YronIl[ as curative.
6he causative bacterium a rod shaped bacillus Yith a touIh coat Yas discovered in b[ 4obert -och s instantl[ transforminI him into a YorldYide medical celebrit[ -och also invented a so called cure Yhich he named ntuberculin’ and tried out on his Yife *edYiI 5he survived tuberculin treatment unfortunatel[ so did -och’s bacillus 'arl[ attempts to produce a vaccine also failed
5uccess eventuall[ came to #lbert %almette s and %amille )uÅrin s YorMinI at the Pasteur Institute that Calmette set up in .ille 6he[ beIan Yith the bovine t[pe of 6$ isolated from the milM of an infected coY and YeaMened b[ repeated npassaIes’ transfers into a special culture medium Yhich the[ devised after [ears of trial and error
Il[cerine and oZ bile 6he oriIinal bovine bacterium Milled Iuinea piIs at tin[ doses but after passaIes became harmless s [et able to protect animals against human tuberculosis.
The ‘Bacille Calmette-Guérin’
$%) vaccine Yas first tried on a bab[ in Paris in $[
(rench children had been vaccinated cuttinI their risM of d[inI after coming into contact with a TB patient from one in four to one in 50. $%) Yas hiIhl[ effective Yhen administered intradermall[ into the sMin usinI a multi pronIed inLection device +ts routine use Yas discontinued in $ritain in but is still indicated in reIions Yhere 6$ remains prevalent especiall[ in association Yith #ids