The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-11-02
Health Officer Keeney on Behr-
ing's Discovery.
FIRST INSTALLMENT RECEIVED.
Said to Be the Greatest Medical
Discovery of the Age, Ranking
Above Vaccine Virus.

Antitoxine-Giving immunity from dph-
iberia.
Vaccine Virus-Giying immunity from
smallpox.
DR.. j. W. Keeuey. Health Officer, places
Behring's great discovery or perfected
formula a bove that Of vaccine virus, aud
rates 1t as the greatest medical discovery
of the age.
DR.. Keeney received yesterday a little
but very expensive box all the way from
Berlin, containing the first sample of the
preparation TO reach thu coast 1t came
in company, as far as New York, with the
first that reached this country.
Cable dispatches for some months past
have given hints of the great interest
awakened by and Importance attached in
Berlin to the great discovery, aud the
whole medical world has been on the alert
for further Developments concerning it,
Learned disquisitiOns concerning it have
filed the medical journals of Europe. Eng
land and the United States in terms in
tended only for the technical doctors, and
which the layman has not attempted to
understand.
A few enterprising physicians in America
oCuN W DClllu IUl tuC SUN anA bhC III - III
stallment in response to this demand TO
reach the western coast was received by
DIR. Keeney. as stated, yesterday.
I'VE are now ready for dread diph-
iberia" said the doctor yesterday. ANY
physician may. upon application, secure
enough of the solution to test it. There Is
not a great quantity here, but sufficient
for all present purposes, and If il does the
work. as to which l have no reason to
doubt il will soon be as plenty as the
vaccine virus. The reports we have of its
action are most satisfactory. One instance
is quoted of child suffering from most
| malignant attack. Two others were in
infection. All we're treated. The sick
| child quickly recovered and the others
escaped entirely.
There are two solutions Of tue anti
toxine-one very much stronger, more
| concentrated than the other. The weaker
| Is the preventive, the stronger the cure.
! They are both administered by injection.
The Importance attached to il? If it is
! what 1t is said to be | rate il, as l say, the
| greatest discovery in medicine of the
! present age. Diphiheria is one OF the lost
! If not the most lreacherous and elusive OF
! diseases. l would rather deal with a
| dozen cases of smallpox than be confronted
! with one malignantcase of diphtheria. And
| you VIII notice that antltoXine is not only
| preventive as is the vaccine virus, but 1t
| OyeTthrows the entrenched disease which
the virus does not.
AS yet it is not known for how long a
single injection secures immunity. Much
depends upon the degree of intensity of
the lnocuiations undergone by the animal
from which the material is drawn. 1t is
known to be effective for several months
al le4 asst.
The results of the experiments with
the new agent will be watched with great
interest nj pOnrsp ~ said
Antitoxine is not sudden discovery. Ii
Is the result OF long line of experiments
made by long line of scientists.
! 1t has been known for some time that
| there exists peculiar albumnose in the
| diphtheria bacillus which when Injected
into the bodies of guinea pigs renders
| them proof against the disease. The in
vesligations of Hericourt, Ricket and es-
| pecially Of BehriDg have demonstrated
/ that in the blood of animals protected this
way against an infectious disease there
exist substances which, introduced into
| the systems OF other animals, renders them
! also proof against the disease
In the case of diphtheria the specific
| poison of the disease is neutralIZed in the
/ blood, and even after the first symotoms
! OF the disease has appeared the injection
! stays rs progress.
In November, 1892, Aronson. together
! with Nsrwlcke, reported to the Berlin
| Medical Society the results OF a series of
! experimental NEGOTIATIONS on dogs. which
| are very susceptible 10 dipntherla He had
! hnaiy obtained n serum which contained
the preventive properties in such a degree
of concentration that il was effective in
the case of children. Since then, new
improvements Of technique and the de-
vlsl1g OF new methods of concentration
have resulted In producing from the
milder preventive agent The curative.
what has become of DIR. Koch's lymph
Tor consumption ?" was asked OF DR..
KeeDey in this connection.
DIR. Koch is working in the right direc-
| tiou there Gao be DO doubt. and will finally
accomplish what he has set out TO do.
The trouble was they did not leave him
alone. but prematurely spread over the
world the reports Of his experiments as
something finished. The result has done
his reputation some harm among the nm.
thinking, but believe he will perfect his
remedy On the lines he has laid down"