The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-11-21

ter up with vgor. and having first veri-
fed Behring's observations by inOculatlng
animals suffering from diphtheria, treat
ed human patients exactly in the same
way. OF the difficulties he had TO con-
tend with at the first, the chief was that
of obtaining the serum in sufficiently
(. large quantities. The problem is now
more or less satisfactorily solved. In five
hospitals in Berlin diphtheria has been
treated with serum and the results are
as follows: First of all, and by way of
standard by which to gauge their signih-
canoe. Prof Ehrlich mentions that seven
ty-two cases of the malady having been
treated by the usual methods, twenty-five
ended fatally. Then come seventy-eight
diphtheria patients who, during the first
forty-eight hours of their illness. had Sc
rum injected into their blood. and of
these only two died.
The conclusion TO which this significant
fact points is that the newly discovered
remedy, if applied a an early stage Of
the infection, is practically an infallible
cure. In two other hospitals of the same
city Ghe Charlie and Elizabeths hospitaD
there were twelve deaths out of eighty
nine patients. a result which viii appear
still more ging when il is stated
that of these twelve seven belonged TO the
most malignant kind OF dphtheria known
so malignant that there was no hope of
recovery from the very first The appli-
cation of serum was in all the other cases
d
off Of the temperature and perfectly nor
mai pulse. When the patient was treated
without loss of time one day was enough
TO remove all the main symptoms of the
malady. and the dangers that usually
make themselves felt during the period
or convalescence are minimized to Won
derful extent.
Serum is absolutely innocuous, even in
large quantities; the only inconvenience
1t can cause is a rash or eff1orescence on
the skin, such as might be caused by the
sting of a nettle and is generally pro-
duced by TRANSMISSION Of blood, and which
disappears without leaving any traces.
The quantity needed for injection during
the malady is a dose of about ten cubic
centimetreS, which at present costs $1.25.
One injection suffices in a great ma
Jority Of cases. Now, the important
point, as Prof. Ehrlch points out, is to
provide serum in sufficient quantities at
a cost which will put it within reach of
the poorest classes, and this can be done
only by the state
At present horses are used for the pur-
pose. They are inOculated with the diph-
iberia poison in gradually increasing
doses and are weighed after each in
lection. If they lose weight the inocula-
ton is stopped until they have regained
what they lost and then the process is
resumed and continued until they are
capable of assimilaung large doses of the
virus. Then their serum Is ready for use.
A vein is opened and about two pounds
weight of blood let, after which they are
well fed, until such time as they can
spare another couple of pounds of blood,
from which the serum is extracted in the
same manner The animals suffer no
serious inconvenience from this frequent
blood-letting, FOR they have no work of
any kind to perform. Serum taken from
the blood of horses Is preferred to every
kind, because it is clearer and purer than
any other.
Prof. Behring affirms that in cases of
lOckjaw the effects Of serum injections
are equally satisfactory, and he believes
that in time it will be found quite as
effectual against typhus, cholera and per-
haps even pulmonary diseases.-N. Y. Sun.