KUMYS 
EXTRACTS 
FROM 
FHERAPEUTICAL AND BALNEOLOGICAL WORKS 
AND FROM THE 
Lectures of Prominent Professors. 
/DMPILED BY 
S. von BERG, Ph. D. 
PHILADELPHIA : 
1877 
Inquirer P. & P. Co., Printers, Lancaster, Pa. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
IT would be like “carrying coals to New Castle” were I to 
attempt to throw new light on the subject of kumys as a 
remedy; for the progress of medical science in America has 
of late years been so great that I presume there is scarcely a 
physician in this country who has not paid some attention to 
its merits, despite the fact that it has found as yet scarcely any 
practical application here. For this reason I have only ventured 
to present in the following pages a selection of truthful extracts 
from scientific works and from the lectures of renowned pro- 
fessors; placing in a convenient form much that has never 
before been translated into English, partly with a view to es- 
tablish more firmly the claims which recent results have won 
for kumys, but more especially for the purpose of calling at- 
tention to its importance as a means for combating certain 
diseases which are exceptionally prevalent in this country. 
Without doubt the reason why kumys finds such a limited 
application here, is that it has not been possible until now to 
obtain the real article, prepared in a proper manner and not 
simply compounded from chemical ingredients; and it is easy 
to understand why the experiments which have been made 
with such preparations have all resulted in failure; for they 
were nothing more than solutions of sugar of milk and sodium 
bicarbonate, the value of which as a remedy must be consid- 
ered doubtful to say the least. (See “ Pharm. and Chem. Cen- 
tralblatt,” Prof. Nessler.) 
Having myself lived for many years with those people with 
whom kumys is a staple article, and being perfectly familiar 
with their habits and manner of living, my wife too being a 
native of one of those countries where kumys is universally 
used, and being, as well as myself, thoroughly familiar with its 
manufacture, we have always, even in this country, prepared 
it in small quantities for our own use, and were induced a 2 
short time since to furnish some of it for experimental treat- 
ment by a friend who is a physician. Since the experiments 
that have been made with it here have proven extremely suc- 
cessful, I feel incited to introduce it to the public, and embrace 
this opportunity to recommend it to the notice of American 
physicians. 
It would afford me great satisfaction to be able to place a 
few trial bottles at the disposition of any physician who may 
wish to make experiments, and I shall esteem it a pleasure to 
receive applications having this object in view. 
We make three numbered grades of kumys, viz: the mild 
(i), the medium (2), and the strong (3), and those who pre- 
scribe it are requested not to neglect to mention the grade 
number. 
The kumys made by us is prepared in a natural way from 
pure cows’ milk, fermented in strict accordance with the Rus- 
sian manner, nothing else being used in its preparation except 
an expensive ferment which we obtain directly from the Rus- 
sian Steppe. We are prepared to furnish kumys fresh daily, 
and patients can be supplied with that having any desired age, 
either daily or at intervals of two or three days. 
It is my intention to establish a Kumys Institution as soon 
as circumstances will permit, and this establishment will be 
based on the Russian plan, with a system of treatment with 
kumys, and also with whey, under the direct supervision of 
competent medical assistance; but of this further notice will 
be given in due time. 
For the present I beg leave to submit the following pages 
to the perusal of the medical public, and to recommend once 
more a trial of the kumys of our manufacture, for the success- 
ful introduction of which I depend almost entirely upon the 
kind assistance of the physicians of this vicinity. 
Respectfully, S. von BERG, Ph. D. 
No. 384.0 Atlanta Street, between Sycamore and Asfien Streets, 
West PhiladelpJna. KUMYS. 
“AS early as the thirteenth century, it was found by Marco 
Polo that the Tartars or Scythians of the ancients, 
who wandered about with immense wagons, possessed a drink, 
(kumys), written chuinis or chemius in the Latin edition ; in 
describing which, he said it was fermented milk, so prepared 
that it had the agreeable flavor of white wine. Rhazes 
also learned from some Turks that this fermented milk fur- 
thered the passage of the food which they ate, and softened 
under all circumstances the contents of the bowels.” [Dr. IV 
F/eischmann.) 
“ Kumys is milk which has gone into a condition of fer- 
mentation similar to that of spirits, or rather it is milk actually 
undergoing a process of fermentation, and differs from the 
milk-brandy of the Kalmucs, which is obtained by distilling 
fermented milk. Kumys is mostly made from mares’ milk, 
but it is prepared equally well from cows’ milk, and even 
other kinds of milk may be used in its ‘production; for in- 
stance, it is prepared in Eauxbonnes from a mixture of asses’ 
milk and cows’ milk. Even in Russia, kumys is made purely 
from cows’ milk, while in Salzbrunn they are obliged to use 
cows’ milk in its production, as mares’ milk cannot be ob- 
tained there even at a high price, being only available when 
the foal happens to perish. In Geestemiinde, kumys is man- 
ufactured from goats’ milk.” (Prof. Liebig.) 
“The distinction between kumys and fresh milk is, that in 
the former a portion of the sugar of milk is converted into al- 
cohol and carbonic acid, while another part of it is transformed 
into saccharine acid, and that the caseous and fatty matter is 
no longer retained in solution, but is held suspended in the 
form of curdled particles. 4 
“The presence of a combination of albuminous and other 
animal matter in kumys, together with alcohol, carbonic and 
lactic acids, such as is not found in any other beverage, af- 
forded ample a priori reasons for believing that it would prove 
a most valuable and efficacious dietetic remedy for many cases 
of weakness and illness, and this hope has been most emphat- 
ically confirmed by the results which have been produced by 
actual treatment with it.” (With, Sr.) 
“In addition to water and alcohol, kumys contains an abund- 
ance of carbonic acid, and its beneficial effect is ascribed prin- 
cipally to the presence of these constituents, but partly also 
to that of vegetable acids, and of saccharine matter left unde- 
composed. 
“Its composition is analogous to that of beer made with lit- 
tle or no hops, and its operation upon the physiological func- 
tions of the human system is quite similar. It appears that 
the effect of the alcohol is, to a great extent, neutralized, or 
rather diverted by the carbonic acid, yet this explanation, ad- 
vanced by Giacomini, is not entirely satisfactory. 
“ Without seeking further to trace the effects produced by 
kumys back to those which might be expected from its chemi- 
cal constituents, suffice it to call attention to the fact that a 
great variety of qualities may be produced by resorting to dif- 
ferent modes of preparation, and its properties even vary with 
its age; so that the slight variations noticeable in the mode in 
which this beverage operates may easily be accounted for.” 
(Dr. Lersch) 
“ Despite the popularity of kumys in Russia as a remedy for 
consumption, and although physicians of the highest scientific 
rank have made numerous observations upon the effects pro- 
duced by it, and that, too, with the most flattering results, the 
erroneously preconceived opinion that a kumys really possess- 
ing sanative virtues can only be obtained in Russia—in fact, 
only in the Russian Steppe—prevails not only among unpro- 
fessional people, but is also held by many physicians; and 
thousands of suffering people make yearly pilgrimages thither, 
often coming from distances of many hundreds of miles, in 
order to subject themselves to a cure in which they place the 
most implicit faith. 5 
“ Dr. Stahlberg, induced by the conviction that although a 
peculiar kind of fodder and a particular climate might well 
have an influence upon the amount of milk secreted, it could 
in no way materially change its chemical composition, which 
he considered dependent solely upon the breed, the manner of 
subsisting, and the internal characteristics of the animals, first 
sought to oppose this prevailing prejudice. He erected suc- 
cessively in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and lastly in Vienna, 
kumys establishments, and shrank before no sacrifice neces- 
sary in order to furnish these institutions with the appurten- 
ances requisite to the demands of science, and to adapt them 
completely to the wants of his patients. Since then he has 
published yearly reports in which the results obtained are bril- 
liantly portrayed. He also procured quantitative analyses of 
Russian kumys from Hart'er, of Moscow, and made use of 
these in establishing a scientific definition of the physiological 
effects of kumys; and, thoroughly convinced of the immense 
value which must be ascribed to it as a dietetic remedy 
for consumption, wasting maladies of every kind, diseases 
of the blood, anaemia, and for scurvy in particular, he feels cer- 
tain that this great remedy, which seems to have so long 
remained a kind of national property in Russia, will soon force 
its way into universal application.” {Biel) 
With the nomadic tribes of the Samara and Orenburg gov- 
ernments, most of which are Baschkirs and Kirghizians, kumys 
is one of the principal articles of food, especially in summer. 
For these people kumys serves as food and drink, and they 
subsist almost exclusively thereon. 
Kumys is, when in a partially fermented state, a most agree- 
able beverage, slightly acid and highly capable of slaking thirst. 
It requires no effort to learn to enjoy drinking it; on the con- 
trary, people very easily become fond of it. In connection 
with this subject Dahl says : “ When a person has become ac- 
customed to drinking kumys he involuntarily prefers it to all 
other beverages without exception ; especially during warm 
weather. It is a cooling drink, which temporarily satisfies both 
hunger and thirst, imparting strength to the system. But 
people should not drink it from deep champagne glasses or sip 
it slowly; it must be imbibed rapidly, when one is thirsty, and 
swallowed at one continuous draught. While it tempers hun- 
ger it does not remove it entirely; so that a person can eat 
plentifully, or get along almost without eating if he prefers to 
do so. A remarkable peculiarity of kumys, and one which is 
not easily explained, consists in the fact, for the truth of which 
I am willing to be held responsible, that it will never overload 
or incommode the stomach.” 6 
Prof. Lersch also remarks on this point, that it is surprising 
what an amount of kumys a person can drink ; and that people 
who habitually drink very little, can swallow down glass after 
glass of it, the very smallest allowance being two bottles a 
day, while from five to eight bottles are considered an ordi- 
nary amount, and some people even drink as many as sixteen 
bottles a day. 
Dahl says: “A person may at any time drink any amount 
he wishes to, without experiencing the slightest inconvenience. 
If one were to drink half as much water, or kivas, after a long 
walk or other fatigue, he would certainly feel distressed, and 
would be obliged to lie down, while kumys invigorates and en- 
livens instead. It is actually impossible to become intoxi- 
cated from drinking kumys, although it will sometimes put 
people in a jolly mood ; especially the kumys made in au- 
tumn, which is generally stronger than that made at any other 
season of the year. A little mirthfulness, a rosy face, and then 
a quiet sleep—that is all. Headache is never a consequence.” 
Ucke gives the following description of the effects produced 
by kumys upon the nervous system : “Those who habitually 
drink a great amount of it remain almost constantly in a state 
of mild intoxication, which, although it renders them tempor- 
arily unfit to perform mental labor, does not by any means ap- 
proach a state of stupidity. A desire to sleep manifests itself, 
to grant which can only be productive of good. Persons who, 
happening to be in the lonely steppes, have resolved to read a 
great deal and write often to absent friends in order to pass the 
time, have invariably been known to fail in keeping their res- 
olutions ; for there it is drink and sleep, take a short walk, and 
then drink and sleep again. But with all this there is neither 
headache nor other unpleasant sensation, and no injurious 
effects take place afterward.” 
The effect of kumys on the arterial system,—pulse, tempera- 
ture of the body, etc.—is comparatively slight. Ucke declares 
that he could not observe any alteration in the respiration or in 
the beating of the heart; but Bogojawlensky tells us that when 
the subject is in the state, produced by kumys, a redness of 
the face, and under certain circumstances, an increased beating 
of the heart may be noticed. 
According to Maydell it has been observed that with those 
who drink a very great deal of kumys, subsisting almost 
entirely thereon, the face becomes red, the skin sweaty, the 
pulse accelerated and full, and that a great inclination to sleep 
is felt; so that a considerable amount of exercise is advisable, 
in order to avoid too great an accumulation of blood. These 
phenomena of heightened arterial action were often observed 
during a whole month after the treatment had been begun. 7 
Exercise and warmth, he says, tend to further the removal 
of the carbonic acid and of the alcohol and its products of 
combustion; they are therefore means which enable one to 
consume great quantities of kumys without difficulty ; and it 
is remarked by Ucke that it is by resorting thereto that seven 
or eight, and even sixteen bottles per day, may be drunk with- 
out producing any bloating or giving rise to any other incon- 
venience. 
“The ease with which great quantities of kumys may be 
taken into the stomach depends of course upon the nature of 
its chemical constituents, and particular account must be taken 
of the immense proportion of carbonic acid which it contains; 
yet it is to the warmness of the climate, which furthers evapo- 
ration, that this phenomenon must be in a great measure 
ascribed. Those who partake of kumys plentifully are there- 
fore in a constant state of mild perspiration, emitting no incon- 
siderable amount of gaseous evaporation ; and when the climate 
aids in keeping up this condition, they are able to consume so 
much the greater quantity of it. In fact, this is only possible 
when the weather is warm, and a person can never drink such 
great amounts of kumys in cold weather; if he persists, how- 
ever, he will soon notice insufficient secretion, so that, as the 
slight amount of evaporation through the skin is not ade- 
quately supplemented by the action of the urinary organs, these 
disagreeable circumstances often culminate in diarrhoea.” 
[Prof Lose finer.) 
In describing the effect produced upon the stomach and ali- 
mentary canal, authorities are somewhat at variance. Accord- 
ing to Chomenkoff, no bad results whatever will be produced 
in the abdominal passage, even when the digestion is in very 
much weakened condition, and even when very great amounts 
are taken; in his experience no one ever complained of being 
bloated or of heaviness in the stomach. 
According to Maydell, the manner in which kumys affects 
the bowels varies—setting aside the influence due to the tem- 
perature of the air—with the stage of fermentation which the 
kumys has reached. Fresh kumys operates as a mild laxative, 
and kumys which has already become a very little sour has a 
slight tendency in the same direction, while that which has 
reached a pronounced stage of acidity, though not yet unpleas- 
ant to the taste, loses this laxative quality. On the other hand, 
kumys which has reached a degree of sourness bordering on 
bitterness produces an effect directly opposite to that of new 
kumys, having become constipating in its tendency, and induc- 
ing a state of affairs which sometimes terminates in diarrhoea. 
Yet kumys does not possess this latter potency in any marked 8 
degree, and the effect must be ascribed rather to the aid of 
chronic tendencies already inherent in the patient than to the 
independent action of the drink itself; a fresh case of diarrhoea 
resulting from a cold cannot be checked by it. 
This same writer, who has had frequent opportunities for 
making observations, having himself had charge of kumys es- 
tablishments, remarks in another place that many patients 
experienced, at the beginning of the treatment, occasional 
periods of constipation which it became necessary to remove 
by doses of salts ; but that it was only necessary to treat this 
constipation during the first two weeks, as it finally found 
spontaneous relief, thus rendering the use of physic superflu- 
ous. 
Authorities unite in stating that, during the treatment, the 
dejecta are found to diminish in amount, while the reverse is 
true with reference to the quantity of urine. 
Quoting Dahl: “lean affirm with absolute certainty that 
the excretions, with respect to the bowels, diminish in quan- 
tity. The very first thing noticed with a person who begins 
drinking kumys is a constipation which manifests itself from 
the first day onward, but which is by no means grievous, and 
which does not even impair the appetite. This disorder soon 
regulates itself, and that too, without any profuseness in the 
evacuations.” ***** * * * * 
“ The urine is somewhat roily, depositing a white sediment; 
and, although the amount of urine is considerable, it is by no 
means so in comparison with the quantity of kumys imbibed. 
If one were to drink twenty or more cups of tea or glasses of 
wine or ‘kwas,’ it would augment the amount of urine in a 
far greater degree than would an equal quantity of kumys.” 
Neftel, too, calls attention to the fact that where kumys is 
used almost exclusively—usually together with mutton—the 
dejecta become very sparing. He further states that the quan- 
tity of urine is increased, as does also Chomcnkoff, who adds 
that it becomes paler and does not emit the usual odor; while 
Maydell remarks that kumys operates on the kidneys, render- 
ing it necessary to make water frequently. 
The amount of evaporation through the skin depends to 
some extent upon the constitution of the subject, the temper- 
ature, etc. Dahl maintains that kumys promotes the action of 
the skin ; Ucke, too, says that it furthers perspiration gently. 
Chomenkoff says : “Evaporation through the skin is increased 
by drinking kumys, and yet the patient feels that his forces are 
refreshed by it.” 
Scanzoni remarks : “ Milk which has become only slightly 
sour occasions agitation and rumbling in the bowels, bringing 9 
on light diarrhoea—disturbances which soon abate when a 
more fermented grade is drunk; the urine becomes watery 
and more abundant, and if the doses are heavy, perspiration 
increases; if lighter, though not small, the pulsations dimin- 
ish—especially a few hours afterward, and even though the 
contrary effect would otherwise be expected during digestion.” 
According to Chomenkoff, an evident change is produced 
in the venous blood of cachectic and scorbutic persons who un- 
dergo treatment with kumys ; it becomes less limpid, more 
fibrinous, and more highly colored. 
It is usually observed that kumys causes an increased de- 
posit of fatty matter in the sub-cutaneous areolar tissue, which 
is often a source of some astonishment. With reference to 
this fact the authorities agree pretty well with each other. 
Dahl says, in regard to it: “ The bony faces of the nomadic 
tribes who had grown excessively lean during the course of 
the winter, became so plump and fleshy in a few weeks at the 
return of spring, that one could not possibly recognize his old 
acquaintances among them. I doubt the possibility of devis- 
ing any other food which would in any respect replace kumys, 
and which would here answer to the wants created during the 
winter by long fasting, with the leanness which invariably 
follows it.” 
With respect to this subject, Ucke writes as follows: 
“ The power which kumys possesses of fattening in the short 
space of from two to four weeks is remarkable, and I know of 
no other substance which will bear comparison with it for this 
purpose. People who, upon entering the course of treatment, 
presented the appearance of mere shadows, consisting of 
nothing but skin and bone, were so admirably furnished with a 
comfortable coating of flesh in a short time, that they returned 
looking so healthy that nothing remained to remind one of 
their former wasted aspect. Others, less deplorably lean upon 
their arrival, leave with plump faces which look as if the shin- 
ing skin were stretched upon their cheeks by the pressure 
underneath it. The rounded parts of the body seem to grow 
plump at the expense of symmetry. When, however, such 
persons take kumys a second year, no such surprising change 
is noticed ; the quantitative augmentation appears to be better 
controlled and participated in by the muscular and sinewy 
parts ; symmetry is no longer sacrificed, and it would seem that 
the body, having been better prepared to receive the drink, no 
longer succumbs to its influence in the same passive manner. 
This depositing of fatness depends also, to a great extent, upon 
the weather, and does not by any means attain the same degree 
of importance in cool summers that it does in warm ones.” “ The alcohol which kumys contains,” says Liebig, “must 
certainly assist in promoting a deposit of fatty matter; inasmuch 
as it shields the fat from oxydation, being itself oxydized 
instead. Then, too, a part of the sugar contained in whey and 
in kumys contributes also to the production of fat.” 
In praise of kumys, Medical Counsellor Fisher states that it 
is, above all, a remedy which restores, and which, in cases of 
convalescent weakness, marasmus, nervous weakness, chlorosis, 
scurvy, dyscrasia and dyspepsia, emphatically merits the full 
measure of the praises which are so justly heaped upon it; and 
Chomenkoff, no less enchanted by the results which kumys 
has enabled him to produce, gives expression to the following 
encomium : 
“In the outward appearance of the patient who has begun 
to drink kumys, an agreeable change is manifested, and this 
improvement is enhanced by continuing to use it for several 
weeks longer. The body, which had previously been lean 
and wasted, begins to fill up; the skin, which had been dry— 
and parchment-like in some cases—becomes softer and some- 
what moister, attaining a much more healthy appearance; and 
plumpness and freshness, with that expression peculiar to 
health, are shown in the face. Without exception, and par- 
ticularly with young people, the writer has observed these re- 
sults of the beneficial effect of kumys upon all those who 
suffered from nervous degeneration, or—if I may be allowed 
the expression—cachexia innominata, and whose ailings were 
characterized by excessive leanness of the body, lassitude, 
inertia, by paleness in the face and irregularity of appetite, and 
by variableness in the humor or disposition, without showing 
signs of any single positive disease.” 
The curative effect of kumys extends, as Ucke maintains, 
to the various mucous membranes, acting especially upon the 
bronchial tubes, and it is doubtless to this fact that its remark- 
able restoring power should be ascribed. 
“ It is not to the acute catarrhs, but to the chronic ones— 
though they may have existed for years—that kumys slowly, 
yet none the less certainly, brings relief; and it matters not 
what may be the character of the erethism or torpidity of the 
case. Its healing influence upon bronchial catarrhs is best 
known, and its commonest and most wide-spread application 
is to this ailing. The course which the. cure pursues is char- 
acterized by a gradual diminution of all the symptoms— 
cough, sputa, difficulty in breathing, etc. When, however, the 
catarrh has been one of long standing, an insignificant cough, 
and perhaps a slight ejection of phlegm will remain at the 
end of the first season; but it is seldom that the last traces of 11 
these symptoms do not disappear upon resorting to the cure 
a second summer.” (Schncpp.) 
The nutritive qualities of kumys, together with its beneficial 
effect upon catarrhs, have gained for it no ordinary fame as a 
remedy for affections of the lungs ; and it is particularly for 
consumption that the numerous sufferers travel to the Kirg- 
hizian Steppe for the purpose of being able to partake of this 
beverage; since, as Neftel asserts, the diseases of scrofula, 
cachexy, rhachitis, and tubercular consumption are unknown 
among the Kirghizians. 
Rokitanski, in regard to this subject, says: “The Kirg- 
hizians, a nomadic people inhabiting the Steppe, and belong- 
ing to the Mongolian race, are of strong and often athletic 
constitution, with muscular bodies and the thorax well de- 
veloped. They are invariably of dark complexion, with black 
hair, black eyes and sound white teeth. They pass their 
whole lives in the open air, riding on horseback much of the 
time, and dwelling both in winter and summer in tents 
which they call kibitka. Their food is extremely simple, and 
consists almost exclusively of meat, principally mutton and 
horse flesh ; in addition to this they prepare a drink which 
has a slightly intoxicating effect, and which is known by the 
name of kumys; the richer families in particular indulge in 
this beverage to a fabulous extent. With regard to the forms 
of disease to which these nomadic people are subject, they 
know nothing of the maladies of scrofula and rhachitis; and 
what is still more remarkable, I did not find occasion to no- 
tice a single case of tubercular consumption among them, al- 
though I sought diligently while in that country for cases of 
this latter disease. During my excursion, I had occasion to 
meet hundreds of Kirghizians daily, many of whom I myself 
examined, and if this disease had any existence among them, 
I should certainly have noticed it.” 
Chomenkoff says that in cases of organic disease of the 
lungs kumys has a good effect, but that it is only palliative. 
Dahl is of the opinion that it can never radically cure consump- 
tion when it has reached an advanced stage, but that it will 
most certainly remove a condition of aptness to consumptive 
dangers. Bogojawlensky believes, however, that he owes it to 
the use of kumys that he was himself rescued from the clutches 
of an already advanced stage of consumption. “ Fresh air, 
exercise and kumys,” says Maydell, “are agents which have 
often restored life and health to patients that I have found 
dying before my eyes.” 
After giving a description of two accurately-observed cases 
of consumption, in one of which a temporary recovery at least 12 
was produced, although cavities had already been formed, and 
in the other of which a permanent cure was effected, Neftel 
concludes by saying: “I will not linger to describe other 
cases of this kind which have frequently come under my obser- 
vation, but will simply remark that the use of kumys, particu- 
larly at the beginning of tubercular attacks, has proved to be 
extremely beneficial.” 
The following is taken from Koehler s Refcrat: 
“ H. G. Schulz, of Reval, made a report many years ago 
upon a case in which a consumptive person whose recovery 
had been despaired of was entirely restored by treatment with 
kumys, as Merkel of Riga, had previously recommended it 
highly as a remedy for catarrhal consumption. 
“ Schnepp’s therapeutical experience with kumys is based 
upon six cases of tubercular consumption, four of which were 
affected with infiltration of the apices of the lungs, leanness, 
and intermittent fever, while in the others, cavities had made 
their appearance, and the patients were also reduced to a state 
of extreme emaciation. With the former, the initial amount 
of kumys prescribed (one bottle a day) was gradually in- 
creased to three bottles; with the latter is was raised to five 
bottles. The small doses given in the first instances brought 
about, under the stated conditions, a decided decrease of 
thirst, less frequent pulsations, and an abatement of the fever 
with its exacerbations; the cough rapidly became lighter, 
and the ejections were rendered more easy; both decreased 
more and more until they almost entirely ceased; at the same 
time the air penetrated into more and more of the cells in the 
lungs, and their vital capacity was increased ; the patients in- 
creased in weight and became more fleshy, while the night- 
sweats disappeared entirely. With the few who were affected 
with softening of the tubercular deposit, Schnepp met with 
comparatively greater success. The mild intoxication caused 
by the heavy doses brought on sleep, which tended of itself to 
bring about a restoration of the normal condition of .nutrition. 
The amount of kumys taken by the patients did not at any 
time exceed five bottles per day.” 
“ In kumys establishments three grades of kumys are pre- 
scribed: (i) mild, or one day kumys, (2) medium, or from two 
to three day kumys, (3) strong, or from five to seven day 
kumys. The first two grades tend to loosen the bowels, while 
the strong grade has a binding tendency. Kumys which has 
been kept for several days in a warm room is very strong and 
sour, and will, if imbibed, create an antipathy against the fur- 
ther use of kumys ; if kept in a warm place for a still longer 
time, its effect is sickening, and will produce diarrhoea. 13 
“In opening a bottle of kumys care should be taken lest the 
greater part waste by being driven out in foam by the gas 
which it contains. Kumys has a pleasant, rich taste, somewhat 
‘ sour-sweet,’ and causes a slightly irritating sensation in the 
nose,similar to that felt after drinking champagne. The flavor 
of kumys is peculiar to itself, and its aroma is especially notice- 
able before and after drinking. Patients very soon begin to 
like the taste of kumys, and they afterwards prefer it to all 
other beverages without exception. If small quantities are 
taken the appetite is increased, and when greater amounts are 
drunk the desire for solid food ceases entirely, so that in this 
way patients may subsist for weeks without any other form of 
nutriment. 
“A peculiarity of kumys is, that it never overloads or incom- 
modes the stomach, and that it maintains an agreeable warmth 
in the stomach which is felt throughout the body; its first 
effects soon vanish and give way to somnolency, so that patients 
do not have the slightest desire to busy themselves with any- 
thing, and do not at all crave the necessary promenades. 
Stahlberg calls attention to a remarkable phenomenon which 
is noticeable after drinking kumys; it is the sensation of 
dryness in the mouth and the increased thirst, which is espe- 
cially felt when the kumys is strong, and which may be attribu- 
ted to the diminished amount of secretion by the mucous 
membranes.” {Biel) 
“ All those who have made reports upon the nature and 
effects of kumys agree in stating that it causes an increased 
deposit of fat—that spare people become more comfortable 
and better-looking by using it—and, finally, that in all cases of 
convalescence, especially after severe maladies, kumys has 
a most valuable effect as a restorative. Its greatest fame, 
however, rests—and not without reason—upon its beneficial 
action in cases of affections of the breast and lungs. Chronic 
bronchial catarrhs, of however long standing, are, according to 
all the results hitherto brought together, slowly it is true, but 
none the less surely, cured by it; while those ailings which are 
analogous to the diseases of the chest are almost invariably 
removed by it; at any rate, patients who undergo treatment 
with kumys while they are yet in the early stages of such 
diseases, experience results which are truly surprising. The 
further the disease has advanced, the more uncertain will be the 
effect of the treatment; yet even in cases of protracted duration 
kumys is of incalculable value as a palliative agent, and though 
it may not suffice to restore the impaired lung or heal the dis- 
eased tubercle, it is always potent in paving the way to a 
recovery; and, when even this fails, it prolongs at least the life 
of the patient.” {Fleischmann) “Catarrhs, as soon as they bear no inflammatory character, 
are rapidly and easily cured by kumys; and even fresh affec- 
tions of the mucous coat of the bronchi and stomach, which 
are primarily attended with a slight amount of fever, not 
only admit of treatment with kumys, but are, according to 
practical results, rapidly cured by it. But in treating chronic 
catarrhs of the mucous coat of the respiratory organs, those 
wide-spread enemies of the human race, with all the disturb- 
ances in digestion and the legion of nutritional ailings which 
follow in their train, kumys appears to possess an efficacy 
which may be justly called specific. It is particularly its nu- 
tritive and blood-purifying effect which here comes to the 
front and promises especial prominence for it as a remedy for 
all those conditions of weakness which result from imperfect 
nutrition and incomplete mixture of the arterial with the 
venous blood, and hence in particular for consumption, chlo- 
rosis and diabetes mellitus. Besides, kumys is a most excel- 
lent dietetic remedy during convalescence, and is to be re- 
commended for final treatment after mineral water cures, in 
order to prolong their operation and clinch their effect.” (Jdo/s- 
boer.) 
“The amount of kumys administered in the Steppe is very 
great. In the German, French, and Swiss establishments, it is 
of course much less. A person who drinks kumys for cura- 
tive purposes must also conform as far as possible to the Kirg- 
hizian manner of living. The proper diet is mutton and bread. 
According to Dahl, wine, coffee and tea are not to be recom- 
mended. Pastry and sour food render kumys unpleasant to 
the taste. To determine upon the diet which will best suit a 
given case is a matter which must, however, be left to the dis- 
cretion of the attending physician.” (Lersc/i.) 
Haeberlein, who managed to produce a cicatrization of the 
ulcers in his lungs by using kumys, thus getting rid of an ad- 
vanced case of purulent phthisis without incurring hectic fever 
or other casualities, commends its use with so much enthusi- 
asm that one cannot help feeling encouraged to make further 
experiments, upon the strength, too, of the success which he 
claims to have met with in applying it to all forms of phthisis, 
atrophy and exhaustion from internal or external ulceration. 
After stating the method of administering kumys, and remark- 
ing that the breakfast should consist of meat broth and white 
bread, the dinner of a good, strong soup, made with meat and 
vegetables, he advises particularly the exclusive use of animal 
food. 
“ The following will suffice as general hints with reference 
to the amount of kumys that should be administered, and the 
manner in which it should be taken. 15 
“If the object be to cure a catarrh it is better to drink small 
quantities at frequent intervals, but in combating leanness 
larger amounts should be imbibed, which, be it remarked, will, 
with but few exceptions, find a ready welcome in the stomach 
and agree well with the patient. In general, let the desire of 
the patient have ample weight in deciding as to the quantity 
which ought to be given ; but the minimum should not be less 
than two and a half pounds per day. If the drink agrees well 
with the patient, and if he feels no inconvenience from drink- 
ing—no bloating—the daily amount may be increased to four 
or five pounds, and even still higher here and there. Should 
diarrhoea set in at the beginning, it is well to add small quan- 
tities of carbonate of lime (pulverized chalk), but if, on the 
contrary, a constipating tendency is noticed at any time, it 
may best be diverted by adding a little magnesia. We call 
special attention to this, because these two salts have, when 
taken with lactic acid, a most beneficial effect upon the mucous 
membranes of the stomach and lower bowel. 
“As kumys, when it is taken in small doses, promotes diges- 
tion and increases the appetite, it is obvious that a nourishing 
diet in combination with it will agree well with the stomach, 
unless the special conditions of a particular case impose a re- 
striction. Of course the requirements of such special cases 
must be subjected to the discretion of the conducting physi- 
cian at the kumys establishment, as both the idiosyncrasies 
of the subject and the peculiar features of the disease often 
render certain modifications not only advisable, but necessary. 
“ We must not fail to call attention to the fact that kumys 
makes an excellent habitual beverage, inasmuch as it slakes 
the thirst and has the advantage over all other beverages of 
its kind, in imparting—by dint of its continued, gentle influ- 
ence—strength to the blood and nervous system, without en- 
tailing subsequent exhaustion. 
“ Bottled kumys should be kept in a cool cellar until it is 
wanted for immediate use. Before opening a bottle it should 
be well shaken in order to mix the settled caseous particles 
thoroughly with the liquid.” (Szviss Kumys Institute.) 
The following report, made by Dr. Ebcrmann upon a case of 
consumption, will serve as a sample: 
“ Patient ‘ C. K.’; 29 years old; body weakly built; mar- 
ried since April 29, this year; went through a one-sided pneu- 
monia five years ago; often subject to spitting blood, (espe- 
cially bad in January last); suffering for a year back with 
cough and short breath; often feels faint; after going up 
stairs, fast walking, etc., violent beating of the heart and short 
breath. Has felt feverish with frequent chills toward evening 
for some time past, with temperature raised to over ioo° 16 
Fahr. Often restless in the night, with coughing spells and 
sweating; suffers from loss of appetite, but no diarrhoea. 
“ By applying percussion a dull tone was heard in regione 
subclavia dextra, more ad sternum; the same in regione supra- 
spinata dextra and at the upper half of the right interior 
border of the scapula. 
“Auscultation over the points of dullness revealed bronchial 
respiration, dispersed sonorous rhonchi in both lungs, and 
indefinite breathing in the upperand forward half of the left lung. 
“Began treatment with kumys on the nth of July, giving 
one bottle a day at first, which amount was gradually increased 
to eight bottles. On the twenty-second day of treatment the 
thermometric curve had fallen to its previous altitude (between 
98*4° and 990) and remained nearly constant for seventeen 
days. On the fortieth day of treatment the temperature began 
rising in consequence of a cold, reaching ioo£° three days 
later, and sinking to its normal height again on the seventh day 
after the cold had been taken, i. e., on the forty-seventh day of 
treatment, after which time no more fever appeared. 
“On the third day after the patient had begun drinking 
kumys, when the daily amount was two and a half bottles, the 
diurnal urine became neutral, and remained so until the end 
of the cure. 
“With respect to the subjective and objective symptoms, the 
following were noticed during the course of the treatment. 
“ When the daily amount had reached five bottles, the pa- 
tient breathed more freely and suffered less from cough. In 
contrast with his previous hypochondriacal and irritable dis- 
position, he became quite cheerful and preserved an excellent 
humor. After drinking two bottles in the morning he felt a 
great inclination to sleep at about noon. Upon awaking he 
felt refreshed and strengthened, instead of being drowsy and 
exhausted as was formerly the case. 
“ Finally the night-sweats cease, the patient sleeps soundly 
at night, and his rest is seldom disturbed by coughing. His 
eyes, which were formerly dull, begin to get brilliant; his tread 
becomes more elastic; he feels perfectly well, but he still shows 
no inclination to work during the treatment. 
“The rhonchi all disappeared when the patient had half com- 
pleted the cure; the sound emitted in breathing became 
clearer, but the solidified places in the right lung remain as 
they were.” 
An elaborate table, containing full data with refereruce to the 
variations in the pulse, temperature, urinary secretions, weight 
of the patient, etc., etc., etc., has here been left out; but this, 
as well as other interesting tables and reports like the pre- 
ceding one, will be gladly submitted at any time to the in- 
spection of those interested. 
Respectfully, S. von Berg, Ph. D.