The herald., 1894-12-10

and there Is as great difference In the
natures of the two substances. Tuber-
culin was preparation of the disease
poison itself. and it was thought that by
the introduction Of it the progress Of
the tuberculous disease could be etimu-
lated with beneficial result. This was
an error, so far 40 Tuberculosis ID con-
fined parts OF the body Is concerned, and
in such cases shs inoculations did more
harm than good. They added fuel to
the FIRE, with injurious effect. But an-
ti.toxine is not q preparation Of the pol.
son sscreted or produced by the germ of
dphtheris it is q substance hostile to
that poison and in itself harmless. ac-
cording to the uniform testimony of
those who have used II In more than
1000 CAGES. 1t 10 . resisting substance
developed in the blood Of ami
mails which have been tested repeat.
edly with inooulations Of ths poison,
and tested until they have become thor-
oughly proof against that poison-proof,
because OF the gradual development of
this hostile and protective material.
When introduced into the system OF
human patient this substance continues
the work which it has been doing in the
horse; it attacks or operates against the
diphtheritic poison, and it that poison
has not become too deeply seated and too
plentiful. it neutralizes or overcomes II.
For this reason, as we'll as on account
OF the record OF experience in Europe
and in New York, the person inquiring
ss to the value OF anti-toxine should not
permit himself to DO biased or preiudiced
by what is now known concerning tuber.
culin.
The best record OF results has hoen
obtained in Paris, where 1t was practio.
able to compare the experiences Of two
hospitals. In the children's hospital
where, in the four years Immediately
preceding. So71 cases OF diphtheria had
been treated. with q mortality OF nearly
81 per cent, there were treated with
serum between February let and July
oath, under the direction of DR.. Roux
(whose memorable report at the Inter
national Congress OF Hygiene, in Buda-
Pesth, last Ssptem Der, excited no much
interesD 44S patients, with mortality
Of only 24I per cent. On the other hand,
in the neigh boring Trousseau hospital,
during the sa me period, $40 patients were
treated in the ordinary way. witha NOR
tality of 60 per cent. After the cases in
each hospital are analyzsd and classi-
fed. tho advantage is shown as clearly
with respect to the subdivisions as it is
in the totals. Since this record was
made, the use OF serum in the Trouss
seau hospital has reduced the mortality
there from 30 to "a per cent. In Berlin
the results were even more encouraging.
In one hospital where the mortality
in three years, with 1881 cases-had
been about 40 per cent, in five months
192 cases were treated with serum, with
morality of only IA per cent. As
death wss inevitab BILE in % OF these cases
when they were admitted to the hos
pital, the subtraction of theee leaves
l69, which showed a mortality Of ia
per cont Cases in other Berlin hospit-
ais added to the l92 made total Of
ga 60 treated. which show a mortality
of 1915 per cent Tho serum wns also
administered to $50 children who had
been exposed, but in whom the disease
had not appeared. and in only two OF
these the disease afterward appeared,
and then in mild iorm-
Prof. Ehrlich has published table
showing the results in 163 csses, with
especial reference to the element of
time. OF elk cases treated on tho first
day, none WAS fatal; Of 68 treated on the
second day, 81, or 81 per cent. were
cured of 90 treated on the third day. 20.
or sc per cent. were saved of SO treated
on the fourth day. 30, or II per cent,
were cured, but the mortality in 23
cases treated on the ffth day was nearly
Ona.half