, 1894-09-12
A CURE FOR ~DIPHTHERIA.

The Department of Health gave an exhibit
ton of the methods of its archaeological ak
aminations which ii has been making in the
course of the last year in cases of suspected
dlphtheria, on Thursday at the departments
laboratory, No. AZ Blocker st. and at the same
time made public the method of treating the
disease by tue anti-toxine system.
The statisticians of the Health Department
declared diphtheria one of the most serious
diseases in the city Of New York, there hav-
ing been | $40 doaths from that cause in the
year 1893. In the time that DIR. Hermann
NJ. Bigss, chief inspector of the Bureau OF
BacterioIogy, Dir. William Ii. Park and DIR.
Alfred L.. Boebe were invests ating the mat
ter, a period covering the time between May
1893, and May, 1894, 5,Gl1 cases were exam.
ined, of which 8, 255 were true diphtheria.
The mortality among children between one
and four years was 45 per cent between five
and seven, 30 per cent between 7 and 10,
Is per cent. between 10 and Is, 8 per cent,
and in the seventy-four cases between the
ages Of fifteen and fifty the mortality was
20 per cent.
Officers Of the Health Department say they
took all possible means to prevent the spread
of the disease. Patients were ordered to be
separated from the we'll, the apartments were
QlSlDIeCI6u dlCoI ISCONClJ VI AO o'NhI "HN
during the course of the disease many visits
were made by the inspectors of the depart
ment; physicians were instructed in the
methods of making examinations for diphtho-
ria bacilli, or for procuring specimens for tx-
animation by the department. 1t is said that
probably 95 per cent of the physicians having
cases of suspected diphtheria in this city
have availed themselves of the opportunities
afforded by the department for, bacteria
logical examinations.
When it became known that DIR. Koch had
discovered q remedy for the disease. and one
viii ch was pronounced infallible, DIR. Biggs
was sent to Europe to investigate it, and his
report ~iustifies all that has been said for the
anti-toxine cure. Writing to President Will
son, of the Health Department, he says:
"Out of more thai $50 cases treated by the
new method (the anti-toxine), when the cases
were inOculated OH the first day 100 per
cent recovered; when treated on the second
day, 81 per cent on the third day 81 per
cont; on the fourth day, rs per cent on the
fifth day, 81 per cent. The conclusions seem
to be justified that Il any person after ex.
posure can be rendered immune to the dis
ease, il the symptoms have not already devel-
oped. (2) If Gases can be treated within
the first thirty six hours, or perhaps forty
eight hours, OF the uiseaSe, 'He Moi'@a'y
may be reduced practically to zero. After
this time the value Of the treatment becomes
progressively less"
Dr.. Cyrus Edison, in speaking of the anti
toxine cure, said in part:
'The new anti -toxine treatment for diph-
liberia which has been worked out in the
Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases ma
Berlin promises to be one of the most impor-
tant discoveries of modern medicine, and 80
far as can.be Judged from the data ON hand
will afford us the means for not only pro-
tecting persons from diphtheris VINO have
been exposed to the disease, but also a GER
tain means for the cure of the disease when
eases are subjected 10 treatment in tie early
stages.
zone of the most important and signiicant
features of the treatment depends upon the
absolutely innocuous character OF the reme-
dy, it hsving apparently no influence, either