Smyrna times., 1894-11-07
The Diphtheria Serum

The Health Department Of Chicago
has followed the example Of the New
York sanitary authorities in expert
menting with the new cure for diph.
iberia. A large supply of the serum
or anti-tOxine, has been ordered, and
it is to be employed under the SUPER
vision of a Health Commissioner in
cases of diphtheria in various portions
of the city. This disease prevails in
Chicago and in other American cities
during the wet weather of late autumn
or early spring, and it is probable that
the value and efficiency of the new
! treatment will be ascertained def.
nitely during the next six months
The results Of serum incubation re.
ported from the hospitals of Berlin and
Paris are not uniform. In Berlin only
two patients died out of seventv-eight
treated during the first forty-eight
hours of their illness. In another series
of malignant cases there were twelve
deaths out of eighty-nine cases. In
the Paris hospitals the mortality from
the disease has been reduced during
six months of treatment by inOcula-
| tiOn to 245 per cent, against an aver
| age of Oil per cent during the pre-
| ceding four years. A special COM
mittee of the French Academy of Med
icine has presented unanimous re-
! port in favor of the new method of
| treatment.
The European experts agree that
when the patient is inoculated without
loss of time single days treatment
suffices to lower the temperature, to
|
mize the dangers of the ordinary pc
riod of convalescence. Experience in
Berlin and Paris also indicates that
the mortality in malignant cases
can be largely reduced by inoculation,
although in view of rash and prema-
ture judgments formed during recent
years Of the value of similar treatment
for consumption and other diseases, all
predictions based on insufficient evi-
dence should be received with caution
and reserve. Experiments with inOc-
ulation on a large scale are justified
not only by the promising results OBJ.
tanned in Europe, but also by the fact
generally conceded by experts that the
diphtheria serum is absolutely innocu-
Gus, even in large quantities. 1t is
stated that the only inconvenience
which is caused by incubation is a
slight cutaneOus rash similar to that
produced by the sting of a nettle
How far the process is effective in pre-
venting the disease cannot yet be az
irmed with any degree of confidence,
although the experts assume that they
have succeeded in protecting absolutely
the guinea pig, an animal extremely
susceptible to the disease But there
are strong grounds for believing that a
cure for diphtheria has been found
which is marvellOusly effective in the
early stages of the disease, and can be
employed even in the most malignant
cases with fair degree Of hOpefulness
This treatment differs from Pasteur's
original methods of inOculation. which
aimed to weaken the characteristic
bacteria of diseases. The microbe.
were tanned, but the trouble was that
there was always danger of their re
vcrting to their former Virulence.
If this new treatment of diphtheril
fulflls the expectations of the experts
it will be followed by many other
, changes in medical practice. If tn,
energies of one infectious disease car
be turned against it, bacteriologist
, will be looking in the blood for corpus
> cles which will protect patients from
every form of contagiOn. Two won
derful cures of Group by the diphtherii
: serum have also been effected il
: France.-N. Y. Tribune.