The Gerson-Hermannsdorfer Dietetic Treatment of Tuberculosis
A few years ago, the Bielefeld physician Dr. Max Gerson, on the basis of purely practical considerations, employed a special diet in tuberculous diseases. Dr. Hermannsdorfer, who at that time was engaged in Munich, at the surgical clinic of Professor Sauerbruch, with the study of the relations between nutrition and inflammation, and, in 1923, worked out a form of diet that appeared to further the healing of wounds, utilized the observations and experiences of Gerson, and the two together worked out a diet for tuberculosis, for which the theoretical bases were the following: Through animal experimentation it is known that a heavy protein diet reduces the susceptibility to infections; a generous administration of fat and fatlike substances strengthens the defense forces of the body; a diet rich in carbohydrates, on the other hand, is said to favor the development of tuberculosis. The susceptibility to