The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-03-12
SERUM.
The Specific Cure for . Dreaded
Disease.
LARGE CITIES INSTALLING PLANTS

PHILADELPHIA, March During the
year 1894 the mortality from diphtheria
and diphtheritic Group increased alarm
ingly all over the world-estimated at
over %, 900 deaths in France and 5O,-
900 each in Austria Hungary and the
United States Following the lead of
Europe our largest cities are rapidly in
stalling plants for the scientific manu-
facture and distribution of antitoxine,
the specific cure, at cost that will
bring it within reach of the masses, and
thus practically test its merits. This
movement, although started by the va
rious local boards of health, is, in fact,
philanthropic and humanitarian cru
SADIE against a common scourge, which
will arouse the interest of every civil
lied community. Already the people are
oontri buting literally to appeals for
financial aid. Paris alone subscribes
$1,000 enabling the Pasteur labora-
tory to supply the whole of France.
In order to understand the practical
working of this new treatment, the
readers attention is briefly directed to
the modern germ theory of disease.
By means of researches with the micro
scope Schwann in 1889 demonstrated
that the tissues of all plants and ami
! mails are composed of minute living
| cells. Subsequent and similar investi-
| cations developed the germ theory
| that many diseases are caused by the
| introduction and propagation in the ami
| NAL system of minute organisms called
microbes. - While the doctrine of
"animal contagion'' was held in the
middle ages and published in the six
tenth century, the discovery of the in
| fictitious organisms themselves was not
| made until the nineteenth century by
Pasteur, Tyndall and others. At meet
ing of the British association in 1870
Professor Huxley expressed his concur
renee in this theory, since which date
Lister, Koch and scores of scientists
are its we'll known advocates.
Cultivation of Bacteria.
A knowledge of the fact that most OF
the diseases of plants are produced by
parasites led up to the discovery of like
cause for many diseases among animals.
The parasites of man are both animal
and vegetable, but a great majority of
these nicro-organism belong to the
vegetable kingdom, and to the order
'oryptogamia, propagating them
selves by spores. Bacteria are of vege-
table origin and comprise large class
of minute organisms, the study of which
constitutes the science of bacteriology.
Being SO small and coloriess, they are
made visible by staining with the ami
line dyes. The earliest attempts to Gull
tivate individual varieties of bacteria
artiicially were made in fuids-meat
solutions. DIR. Koch of Berlin first used
solid medium, the potato, and obtained
pure civilizations, insuring perfect iso-
lation and accurate investigation.
Pathogenic micro organisms produce
their poisonous effects, first, by 'in5ox-
ication in which case they generate
''ferments, - as in foods or drinks, out
side of the body, and afterward enter
the body through the alimentary canal,
and. secondly, by infection, - wherein
the germs attach themselves to surfaces
within the body, multiply and cause dis
ease by the evolution Of poisonous prod
ucts called ''toxines - Predisposition to
disease is either inherent or acquired
and may be increased by hunger, IA
tigue, change Of temperature, etc. The
unsolved problem in medical science
for the prevention and cure of infectious
diseases is how to confer immunity in
stead of liability. One method of con-
ferring artificial immunity is the hypo-
dermatic injection of blood serum from
the veins of an animal previously i'm
munized by gradual saturation with
toxine derived from the culture soils of
specific bacteria. Such serum contains
the SO called 'antitoxine." Future spe-
cities, if attainabIe, will probably con-
sist of these antitoxines injected into the
body to neutralize the poisonous effects
of toxines. In regard to inherent or nat
ural immunity, which should be recog-
nized as the omnipresent and providen-
tial protection of the human race against
epidemics of infectious disease, it has
been demonstrated that the blood of ad-
ults in perfect health has a resisting
power sufficient to neutralize tenfold its
own bulk of toxine.
Poisonous BaciIIi.
During childhood and youth this force
is feebler. In this early period of life
the theory of the action Of this anti
toxine is the transference of an acquired
immunity from the blood of horse to
that of man, thereby neutralizing the
toxic cause of the disease, and so aug
menting the natural power of resistance
and so arousing the vital energies as to
turn the scales in favor Of cure. Speak
ing in pathological terms, the bacilli
themselves do not enter the circulation.
They act upon the products Of local in
hammation and the saliva, producing
a morbiic ''enzyme," which, through
the blood, reacts upon the proteids of
the spleen to form poisonous organic
acid and toxalbumoses, which in turn
poison the nerve and blood supply of
remote tissues, thus causing paralysis,
| fatty degeneration and gangrene of mus
cles, SO common in maligast diphtheria.
Antitoxine prevents and neutralizes
these processes.
In 1921 the term s'diphtheria, !" mean