Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-01-23


was not sufficiently developed TO neu-
tralize the requisite volume Of poison,
and the REGULATORY treatment IL there
fore resumed. But II the test-animal
shows no III effects, the potency OF the
serum IL thereby established and the
horse Is ready to become producer OF
anti-toxine.
The amount OF blood that strong.
healthy horse can supply without ap-
parent injury to its physical condition IL
somewhat surprising. Rscord-books at
Hoechst show that from one OF the horses
10 liters CHS pints) of blood have been
drawn within two days; another has
yielded q liters In eight days. and the
average for each animal varies from %
TO 20 liters month. All have at present
the appearance of good health. and some
have grown fat under the ordeal DIR.
Behring. who has drawn blood from tho
same horse for nearly four years, states
that II is In good physical condition,
The blood thus Obtained passes 10. the
laboratory, where the serum Is eliminated.
exposed to a degree of heat which de-
stroys the last vestige Of any form OF
bacillus that IL may contain. and then
is prepared for use by processes q de-
scripticn Of which would extend unculy
this report. As final prccaution against
danger OF decomposition from bacterial
growth, per cent. OF carbolic-acid Is
added to the anti-.oxine serum. and IN
this condition Il may be kept In a cool
place with exclusion OF Tight, for months.
without the loss OF much anti-toxine
power
Horses vary individually in respect 10
the strength of the anti-tox.ne serum they
produce. and the finished product Is pre-
nm al n thyAn af { ms
bered. respectively. /. 2. md $. which are
indicated by differeni-colored labels on
the Walls In which II is sold for use. In the
use OF anti-toxine. either ~ a prophlyac-
tic or remedy, the strength of the serum
employed is a point If importance to the
| physician. who should know precisely the
anti-toxic energy OF ;he lose admins
tered. II was. therefore, n ,cessary TO for
muiate a system of measurement for this
| energy. based upon definite and in
variable unit. This has been done mainly
through the labors of Drs. Behring and
Ehrlich. as follows:
PRESERVED IN BOUILLON.
The bacllli of dlphtheria are propagatei
and preserved in boui.lon. The amount
| of such poison that a given measure OF
bouillon will contain is fixed and definite,
| like the limit OF saturation in many sa-
| line and other solutions. The deadliness
| of this maximum solution OF diphtheTia
| poison may be inferred from the fact
| that one fourth OF cubic centimetre oil
| II administered hypodermically will XIII
| guinea pig of go grams weight The
| relative strength OF this normal bouillon
| toxine and the anti-toxlne is as ten to
| one-that Is TO say, one measure OF anti
| toxine will neutralize ten measures OF:
] "normangift." which is the German name
| for diphtheria boullon. The standard
| strength and the energy contained in one
, cubic centimetre zone thirtieth of f1uid
/ ounce of such anti-toxine forms the unit
| Of measurement OF antl-toxic power.
| But some horse yield far more powerful
serum than others. and the serum may
| be produced so powerful that one tenth
| OF a cubic centimetre of IL will neutralize
| ten centimetres of poison. One cubic CEN
| timetre Of such serum would thus con-
| tain ten units of anti-toxic power, and
would be designated as "tenfold serum.
| The strongest serum yet produced Is
40 full" one of measure of which neu-
| tralizes !. 400 measures OF the normal tox>
| inc solution.
The finished anti-toxine Is a clear, am
ber-colored fluid, soluble in water. and N
put up for use in strong, carefully closed,
sealed, and labelled walls, having uni
form capacity Of ten cubic centimetres.
or one third OF n fluid ounce. The exact
bulk of serum in each vial is regulated
according to its number and strength, as
follows:
Ant-toxine No. green LABEL contains
Coz units of anti-toxic energy. and is used
In mild cases. and for young children
or as preventive TO inoculated children
or adults who have been exposed to diph-
iberia. but are not yet attacked visibiy.
The prophylactic power OF anti-toxine IS
estimated at ten times its curative virtue,
so that a simultaneous injection OF one
cubic centimeter of Serum No. l is gene
rally regarded as sufficient to avert diph-
liberia.
Anti-toxine No. (white labeD contains
1860 anti-toxic units, and is used for
older patients. and where treatment has
not been commenced until the attack Is
fully developed.
Anti-toxine No (red labeD contains
800 units Of strength, and is employed
for severe cases where malignant symp-
toms prevail and treatment has not be-
gun until the disease has reached criti-
cal stage.
1t Is more than probable that with fur
Their experience the Importance OF the
highest Of these three grades Of serum
will be diminished greatly. and. instead
of one injection of highly-concentrated
anti-toxine repeated doses Of the weaker
quality will be preferred. The principle
has been fully established that the re-
quiste number of anti-toxic units can be
supplied, even in severe cases, by simply
repeating the injection of serum Of No. l.
in others words. ii Is quantity, not
quality OF strength, that is required and
Professor Behring is of opinion that ulti-
mately only one serum Of standard and
uniform strength will be used.
IMPROVES WITH AGE.
II also has been found that age has an
important salutary effect upon anti
tOxine. In the earlier experiments when
the supply Of anti-toxine was small and
temporary, freshly-prepared serum was
mainly used. and produced in some cases
a slight eruption of the skin. This was
| the outward sign Of disturbance the ul-
| innate consequences of which caused
| some fear. but later experience has shown
! that this eruption Is not caused when
serum which is rlpened "a few weeks Is
used. Instead Of degenerate Z, anti
l toxine improves with asv. a least. du-
| ring the first two months, and the best
| German practitioners no longer use
| freshly prepared anti-toxine. when that
| which has undergone the ripening process
| can be obtained.
All authorities agree that an early ap-
1 piLCdtiOu VI tic ItiHtNy 10 VI tht utiHOce
| importance. At the Lazarus Hospital. in
| Berlin, where seventytwo cases of diph-
| iberia in children were treated within
two days at first appearance. only two
| cases were fatal, and Or. Kossel esti-
mates that In such favorable conditions
| the death-rate can be reduced 4 per cent.
| 1t follows from the nature OF anti-toxine
that II can have no curative effect in
| cases OF any disease other than diph-
| liberia. such as are caused by the Loefiier
| bacillus, and no exact and conclusive sta
tistics can be prepared until such cases
| are carefully distinguished from scarla-
| tina and the other kindred diseases. in
which the real dlphtheric bacillus is not
present.
Only the careful experience Of years
by large number OF physicians can
| settle definitely all the questions that
have been raised by the introduction OF
| anti-toxine; so its precise value as pre-
| ventive or remedy, in determining finally
whether it's use when properly prepared
| and administered entails any danger or
| injurious effects upon the patients. al
| though inconclusive from a scientific
| standpoint. is certainly most important.
| GOOD THAT IT HAS DONE