New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-09
THE DIPUTHERIA SERUM.
IT'S ALMOST INSTANTANEOUS EFFECTIVENESS IN
THE CASE OF A LITTLE BOY.

THE DIPHTHERIA SERUM.
IT'S ALMOST INSTANTANEOUS EFFECTIVENESS IN
THE CASE OF A LITTLE BOY.
To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: | have Just read your editorial Tine Dph-
iberia Serum" in The Tribune of october %. with
much interest. Two days before that article ap-
peared ! arrived in Paris with my littie poy' /"
sturdy little fellow. In perfect health, with rosy
cheeks and strong OF limb had engaged charm-
ing apartments one OF the large avenues. VIII"
a private French famil,. for the purpose Oh nav
ing the advantage OF French conversation; ana as
the lady had only n little boy about the same age
as my own, / considered myself very fortunate
We reached Paris the morning OF octoper 20
The same night my child became restless and IT
evident distress that on Saturday presented
a letter had 10 Dr.. p, a distinguished special
ist He found the little fellow suffering from
sore throat. and applied all the best-known rehe
dies to relieve the pain But he continued 10 gro"
worse until the following Tuesday morning wheh
during the spraying OF the throat. particles Oh
membrane were discharged. some OF when DR. r
secured in a small vial. Fortunately he happened
to be personally acquainted with Dr. houN' ne
at once drove the Pasteur Institute anu ha''hs
free access to the building. fastened to Or. houN
labora tory where he found him Dr RouH h"-
mediateIy prepared slide. and w'tnIp t"eh.y
minutes he had the membrane under his micro
scope There revealed 10 the eye. appeared "
large colony OF diphtheric bacilh 1here can ne
no mstaking them Instantly he pronounced the
case 10 be dphtherla. and OF malignant type
The next thing to inoculate the chiid Out
With what? Serum OF course; but where was the
all precious serum to be had? The demand for 1t
has been so great that only Few OF those VINO
seek Il can be accommodated. and hundreds OF eie-
grams and letters have TO be laid ASIDE every Jay
unanswered and necessarily ignored
The local profession who are able to produce EVIL
dencc OF genuine diphtheric membrane are nat
uralv first considered. They want no experiments
I'm doubtful cases. The manly instincts OF Dr. koux
can best be judged from his zeal ana interest IN
| individual cases for sooner had he discovered
the existence Of the fatal microbes In my case than
ne searched the laboratory for the needed serum
and finally discovered tube left Ii was the
| last one in the building This he handed TO Dr.
p But this was not enough. \ special ana
peculiarly constructed syringe Is necessary with
which to make the incubation. and there were
none OF these on hand Or. Roux quickly set 10
work and in a short time succeeded In putting the
unfinished parts OF one together, and this he also
| All speed FASTENED back to us. 100000,
| This at about i o'clock IN me FORENOON,
| After first carefully washing the SKIN WIN n.,
| strong antiseptlc solution Dr. P made pune
ure the risht side tle below me ~a,s' no, r re
hruise or rupture the Tissues and at hist an es,,.
shaped swelling appeared This. however. rapdly
| placed over the puncture. Within an hour NE NE
! ferrr fell into a doze Although his temperature
| rose and he showed some fever. he became quie.
nnn Gym nSSe,e ditaclty that he held his little
head w. but hts crying ceased altosether ana ne
| was free from those constant jerks and starts and
| cries OF pain that had previously marked the dis
tient marvellous, and that night he slept nat
when wben his throat was sprayed considerable mem
brane found to have been naturally discharseu,
and the white patches on one side Of MS throat
had almost cleared It was extremely d,fiSulJ t 10
believe that We looked upon the ie,o same ch' VINO
So sudden had been the change Elected that this
So ss in m fsai " case of Gphihera think Dr.
| himself imagined my state OF mind Tor nav i,n
| charged. he kindly asked me TO drive with MN 70
| the Pasteur Institute Arriving there we went up
not arrived but assistant very kindly pertnit,sd
look through his MICROSCOPIC on MhSn 'a a
the doctor had let q There indeed Iced; i,s sa" 5he
deadly sas and " son tS Psmf' Ore" '"e'" o"
Certainly they were diphtheric microbes ana , IN
Of 10 rough plan OF battle. where the positions
OF regiments brigades and divisions ase ,inn some
| dagonally and some at right angles to each other
but never exactly parahe rrT Of 'a chemist and
had him prepare two slides from the m.m ,nI M,
had secured that mT his quickly accompiished
but instead OF diphtherlc bac Of ths previous
one OF the three microbes which are commonly , as
ISOLATED dor some reason YET umhnomn S.', ro,ted
vanqushed and destroyed as by maS,c; any aa Wns
tional proof OF the character OF the ussa aSs
wanted besides the microscopic examination na d
| Sy Dr Roux 1t found in that OF the toIlowihf
| Jov The proof was convincing Overwhelming.
| have mentioned these details because the mar
vellous and almost instantaneous e,iec, P'V S
| he Inc inoculation WONDERFUL as TO ne pc
| v1nd belief The child was cured re con lm
10 Improve rapidly that on me sa,u,''S , ioo ,
Ing he went out OF doors. and has been ou, every
dnv since looking bright and In perfect health 49,,
va, smhssou,ntly appeared that the child OF the
| lady where We were had had diphtheria IN June n
| iast and had himself been inoculated ana ,h ht
raSiio IIsr lection had been made II Is ,prooaDie
| ,hai some OF his toys had been overlooked. Inc
morning we arrived In Paris he brouGht unsse oui
n nioved with my child for several hours ana
| Tho next morning my child was h,IstrlcKeeh as
though the hand or dea'h VAS upon ''' W
| cued AS by miracle. ="
| paris Nov 10. 1894.