Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-12-04
The New Cure for piphtheria.

DR.. Cyrus Edison OF New York, recently
made the sta tement that unless the medl-
cal profession of this country took prompt
measures to secure to their patients the
advantages of the newly discovered serum
treatment for diphtheria 10000 lives viii
be lost in the United States IN the next
twelve months, that might, otherwise,
have been saved Such a declaration from
so eminent a source has naturally caused
considerable comment DR.. Edison Is one
of the most eminent psychologists in this
country and his original work and IN
yestigation have placed him in the
front rank of its medical profession.
Not only is he firm believer IN
the efficacy of antitoxin, but he Is IN
charge of the New York experimental sta
ton and is actively pushing forward the
development of a supply of the new RENE
DIV for use in that city. To those who
may not have followed the discovery and
development of this new remedy we will
say that it has been the result Of very care
full and painstaking work along what ap-
pear to be logical lines of investigation.
1t was observed that after person had
had diphtheria he enjoyed immunity from
it for several months even though
he We're constantly exposed to contagion.
This fact, in connection with the dlscov-
cry that diphtheria was, like other conta-
gious diseases, germ disease, led to the
belief that the progress of the disease
developed in the blood an antidote for
diphtheritic poison. If therefore this an
tidote could be artifically developed in
other animals, and introduced into the
systems of patients in the first stages OF
the disease, it was obvious that the work
of the poison would be counteracted from
the start and recovery assured. So power
full is diphtheritic poison, and so rapid is
its action, that it was found necessary to
conduct experiments upon large animals.
Horses appear to be best adapted for this
purpose BY gradual and repeated innocu-
lation with the virus of diphtheria it was
found that "a serum was obtained which
when injected into the system would
neutralize the poison of diphtheria This
serum was in fact, but milder form of
diphtheritic poison, hence it was called
toxin (poison) AS it was used in practice
as an antidote for a more powerful poison
it was called anti-toxin, which is now
very generally used, without the hyphen,
as the name of the new remedy. Natur-
ally the unsatisfactory experience of
American physicians with the Koch
lymph, and similar remedies for various
in their acceptance of new discoveries in
these lines While all progressive physi-
clans now accept the germ theory as the
explanation of the cause and development
of contagious diseases, and recognize the
probability that wonderful discoveries in
the cure of such diseases will be the natural
outcome of the archaeological studies
which arc now being so enthusiastically
pursued in nearly all the great medical
centers of the world, they nevertheless de-
mand, and properly so, that each new
remedy shall rest, not upon the past
achievements of its discoverers, nor upon
their eminence in the medical profession /;
but upon the practical results which such
a remedy is able to show in a wide and
varied range of applications to disease, in
every day medical practice. In this re-
spect, it must be admitted that antitoxin
stands upon far different basis than did
the Koch lymph when it first came to
the attention of the medical fraternity in
this country. That was a remedy that
great things were hoped for, but which had
had very little application to disease be-
fore it came to the attention of the public
In fact the announcement of this discoy-
cry was premature Prof. Koch had only
fairly begun his experiments with it, and
was not prepared himself to make any
definite statement concerning its etfacacy
as a cure for tuberculosis. The announce
ment of the discovery of the antitoxin
cure for diphtheria on the other hand is in
no sense premature Every step in its
| development has been patiently and thor
oughly taken. Its efficacy seems to be es-
tablished beyond reasonable doubt. 1t
has been used for months past in the lead
| ing hospitals of Berlin and Paris with
wonderfully good results. In the former
city especially it is said to have already
reduced the death rate from diphtheria
more than sixty per cent. and the cure is
only yet in its infancy. Doubtless much
will still be learned, both concerning its
preparation and use. Enough has already
been shown in its use however, to demon
strate clearly to unprcjudiced minds that
the discovery is one of very great impor-
tance.
The city of Pittsburg claims the honor
of being the second city in the United
States in establishing scientific expert
| ,,,optoJ station for the c,llfure of tho anti