New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-25
A CURE FOR DIPHTHERlA.
ANOTHER DISCOVERY BY DIR. ROBERT
KOCH, OF BERLIN.
EXPLANATION or THE ANTI-ToXINE METHOD
RESULT OF EXPERIMENTS ANNOUNCED

The Department OF Health gave an exhibition or
the methods of its meteorological examinations
which II has been making in the course or the last
wear in cases of suspected diphtheria. Thursday
at the Departments laboratory, NO. " BIeecKeT-
St. and the same time made public the method
of treating the disease by the anti-toxlne system.
The statistcians OF the Health Department de-
clarcd diphtheria one Of the most serious diseases
in the city of New-York there having been l'9'o
deaths from that cause in the year 1873 In the
time that DR. Hermann NJ. Biggs, chief inspector
OF the Bureau OF IIacterology; Dr. William H. faiK
and Dr. Alfred l.. Beebe were investigating tne
matter a period covering the time between May,
1893 and May. 1884, 56ll cases were examined Oh
which 3.255 true diphtheria Inc iho''a"''
among children between one and four years was
A, nor cent: between five and seven, 30 per cent
between I and TO- Is per cent: between 10 ana ID .
Der cent and IN the seventy-four cases between
the ages of fifteen and fifty the mor'aH'y was ~
per cent.
omcers NJ tho Health Department say they took
all possible means to prevent the spread OF the
disease Patients We're ordered TO be separator
from the well, the apartments were disiiiec'e"
after recovery of the sick. and during the course
of the disease; many visits were made by 'ie
inspectors of the department. physicians were
instructed in the methods of making examinations
for diph IBERIA bacilli for procuring specimens TOT
examination by the department. 1t Is saiu 'iia'
nrobably % per cent of the physicians having
cases of suspected diphtheria in this city nave
awaited themselves OF inc opportunities "'N''~
the department for meteorological EXAMINATIONS
THE REMEDY OF DIR. KOCH.
Whom /, became known that DR.. Koch had dis
covered a remedy for the disease. ana one "'i'"
was pronounced infallble. DR.. Biggs was sent 10
Europe 10 investigate it. and his report luSe an
that has said for the anti-toxine cure "r"ne
10 President Wilson, of the Health Department. "e
says: -
..Ou, Of more than go cases treated by the new
,a,ed on the first day. per cent recovered "heN
treated on the second day. 81 per cent on 'he 'ru
day 81 per cent: on the fourth da!' 30 per 'ei'''
on the fifth day 81 per The conclusions seer"
10 be justified that Cd any person after eNpoS
can be rendered immune to the disease '"'
svmntors have not already developed. (g II cases
can be treated within the first thirty-six hou's vi
perhaps forty-eight hours OF the disease 'he mo-
taitv may be reduced practically TO zero AI'e'
This time the value of the treatment becomes
progressively less
DR.. Cyrus Edison, in speaking Oh 'ne a"'
cure. said in part:
"The new anti-toxine treatment for diphtheria
which has been worked out in the koch INSTITUTE
for Infectious Diseases in Berlin promises 10 he
one Of the most important discoveries OF modern
medicine and so far as can be Judged from the
oa;a at hand will afford the means for not only
protecting persons from diphtheria who nave Deeh
exposed TO the disease. but also a certain means
for the cure of the disease when cases are SUI
iected TO treatment in the early stages.
cone Of the most important and significant feat
ures OF the treatment depends upon the absolutely
innocuous character OF the remedy II having ap-
pareny no influence either iavoTaDe OF "a IFS
power of neutralizing the poison OF NJ, as
%ni1e II ma deyo,d Of danger The treatmen, is
be sed upon the following observations , g., =.
the poisoning by a chemical substance "a toxine,
produced by the dphheTs bacillus s IN br iae throat
'"Second-A certain degree Of immunity; whch -
temporary only IS afforded by one ras Of an ac
quired tolerance TO the toXine lhls apiles ~ o''
Third-ff large animals such as horses cows VS.
goats, etc. inocuated with minute. Ser aa
STen ngtSres of the dphhera they be-
come VII saSpay the D
larger quantities through the immunity WHO" l.
acquired from smaller doses
THE POISON NEUTRAL1zED
Fourth-The immunity thus produced is the re-
suit of the development in the blood OF some SUD-
stance (anti-toxne). which has the power OF heu-
tralzinC the poison Uoxine) produced in dphtheria,
and in animals which have been highly immu-
nized q. g.. capable of withstanhng very large
doses Of the toXine through repeated lnocuia'lohs
of doses. minute, but constantly Increasing IN s'3e,
power of neutralizng very large even 1atai guam
Fifth-When animals have thus been imInunzed'
blood is withdrawn from the circulation In quan-
Titles varying with the size or the animal ana -
employed through injections underneath the SKIN KIN
for the treatment OF cases Of diphtnera eo inc
absorbed into the circulation OF the sick person
unsusceptihle to It's action BY this method II Is
apparently possible TO protect any person from rom
exposed to the disease and infected. II the symp-
toms have yet appeared and also to cure IRE
treated in the early periods of the disease unfor,
s hs aoT the of
It's prSd9co9 requires the long
OF ske oe ena four to six months Is necessary to
render animals immune to the disease so ' MAJ
finally waen thus rendered immune, they can fur
nish only sufficient blood as rule to treat adra
the production Of the substance must necessarily
be costly and he o ss e spos n of peo
people by municipal and state Sa"''a'! "'''0''-
TO ASK FOR AN APPROPRIATION.
Dr. Edison thinks the anti-toxine discovery the
most important since the time of Jenner and Will
ask that 900 be appropriated for the establish
,nent of a depot for the cultivation Of the anti
toxne.
lone thousand people in this city who are alive
to-day and who Will be dead in one year from
diphtheria would be alive then If the ant-toxine
treatment could be practsed, SAID Dr. f.osoh
:'and $50 per life is surely not large amount. au
When Dr Edison finished his interesting talk
ployed FOR the discovery Of the dphthertc bacil
and their culture for the purpose OF producing the
The process as described by the doctor IS in
follows: lSdclIU are tdhth 20
tjent suffering from diphtheria and after these
have been proven Of the genuine dlphthera species
they are put away in broth. and after six weeks
new crop has formed small number OF the
hacIii, are inject ed under skin of the animal
which is TO be rendered immune The swelling pro
dnced by the injection subsidies after short time
and a second and somewhat larger dose ls al
mlnistered. Thus the doses are Increased from day
to day until the virus ceases TO have any percepu
bic effect on the animal Then. when neither us
Temperature appetite nor digestion Is affected. us
blood contains the ant-toXine and this wnen IN
iected into the system Of the diphtherIa patent
has The beneficial effect above mentioned.
Dr Riggs showed animals which rad been killed
nv diphfheritic poison and told In an interesting
manner Of the good which would result from the
use OF DR.. Koch's discovery