10
APPENDIX I.
NOTES ON VACCINE THERAPY.
By Civil Assistant Surgeon M. Kesava Pai, M.D.
Furunculosis.— This was the infection which, as in previous years, was found to be the
most amenable to vaccine treatment. Of the 15 cases that were treated with autogenous
vaccines, the result could be followed up in 13 only and all of them were cures. The staphy
- l o c o c c u s a u r e u s w a s t h e o n l y o r g a n i s m i s o l a t e d i n t h i s c l a s s o f c a s e s . T h e e x p e r i e n c e o f
vaccine treatment of boils during the last few years has brought out a few interesting facts
which go to prove that the personal factor has a great deal to do in recovery from the disease
by vaccine treatment. A large number of cases which begin in the usual acute way as "heat
boils" yield to a few, say two or three doses of a stock staphylococcus vaccine. A certain number
of acute cases resist the stock vaccines given for a reasonably long time but yield readily to
a very few doses of autogenous vaccine. In the former class it is possible that one or more of
the individual strains comprising the polyvalent stock vaccine, were identical with the
patient's infecting organism, whilst in the latter the patient's staphylococcus was perhaps
quite different from the strains comprising the stock. There is still a third class of cases,
fortunately very few, where the autogenous vaccine brings about a very slow progress in the
patient's condition, so that the treatment has to be continued over a long period of time and
yet the patient in spite of large doses does not reach the stage of complete recovery. In such
cases it is to be presumed that the patient's response to immunization is weak due to some
defect in the immunizing mechanism.
Though the smaller doses of 25 and 50 million usually begin to improve the condition,
one sometimes finds that higher doses are necessary before a change for the better is observed.
The following is an instance:
—
A sub-acute case of furunculosis of six months' duration, which resisted treatment with
stock vaccines. Up to three doses of the autogenous vaccine reaching 75 million, the patient
showed no signs of improvement but when the 100 and 150 million doses were given the
boils began to dry up and ultimately disappeared after about four weeks of autogenous vaccine
treatment.
TABLE I.
Furunculosis.
Serial
num-
ber.
Case
num-
ber.
Medical Officer.
Disease.
Vaccine made.
Result.
1
27
The Medical Officer, Municipal
Hospital, Coimbatore.
Furunculosis . . . Staphylococcus
aureus.
Cured.
2
30
. . .
Do. . . .
Do.
Not known.
3
32
. . .
Do. . . .
Do.
Cured.
4
43 Major F. F.Elwes, C.I.E.,
I.M.S.,
Madras.
Do.
Do.
Do.
5
45
Major
F. Clarence Smith,
I.M.S.,
Madras.
Do. . . .
D o .
Not known.
6
55
Captain A. J. H. Russell, I.M.S.,
General Hospital, Madras.
Do. . . .
D o .
Cured.
7
58
Do.
do.
Do. . . .
Do.
Do.
8
64
The Superintendent, Rayapuram
Medical School, Madras.
Do. . . .
Do.
Do.
9
87
The Superintendent, Government
Maternity Hospital, Madras.
D o . . . .
Do.
Do.
10
88
Do.
do.
Do. . . .
Do.
Do.
1 1
96
. . .
Do. . . .
Do.
Do.
12
104
The Surgeon, First District, Madras . . .
Do. . . .
Do.
Do.
13
105
Dr. Anna Degenring, A.B.M. Hospital,
Nellore.
Do. . . .
Do.
Do.
14
110
The Third Surgeon, General Hospital,
Madras.
Do. . . .
Do.
Do.
15
103
. . .
Do. . . .
D o .
Do.
Eczema, Pemphigus and Pustular eruptions .—Cases of pustular dermatitis due to strep--
tococcal infection comprised, as usual, the majority of cases in this class. There was a small
epidemic of this skin affection in the Devonshire Regiment stationed at St. Thomas' Mount.
Apparently as a result of severe mosquito bites on the exposed parts of the body, i.e., mostly
the fore-arms and legs, the eruption began as very itchy vesicles which rapidly turned into