The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-01-15
DiPHTHERIA TOXINS.
What Science Has Done for Relief OF
Diphtheria Sufferers.


What is anti-toxin, without the final
"e"?
A simple definition that all can under
stand, 1t even puzzles physicians TO give
Off hand. Yet there are thousands
OF persons throughout Rhode Island mo
have been hearing about this wonderful
diphtheria cure and preventive, and
who are not in as good q posi-
knowledge Of scientific research
and discovery, divested OF the foreign
medical phraseology and expression. For
the benefit OF such DIR. Chaplin of the
Board OF Health explains that all bacteria
form chemical properties in the blood
which are called toxins and the remedies
to be applied are called anti-toxins.
Anti-toxins do not destroy the toxins
any more than coffee destroys morphine,
but they prevent them from taking effect,
just as coffee is applied In a case OF NOR
phine poisoning to stimulate the system
and empower 1t to throw or
ward off the effects OF the drug.
There are several kinds OF toxins, OF
course, and those at present under dis
cussion are dipntheria toxins, and the
new remedy should be property called
"diphtheria anti-toxip," To distinguish it
from pneumonia anti-toxip, hog cholera
anti-toxin, etc.
Among physicians toxin is generally
spelled without the 'e' because nearly all
that has been written about toxine has
been in foreign languages, principally
French and German, and the 'e" Is not
used.
From the discovery and investigation
OF toxins in the blood came the term toxi-
cology, which means sthe science which
investigates poison; so in anti-toxin we
really have an ti-poison treatment.
hA ma I, Var< <xf< <.kt tAt, fv.~ A. IL
liberia anti-toxin is very simple and quite
the blood taken from horses
which have been made immune
or proof against diphthcria, by being in
j.cted with the bacili or toxine of diph-
iberia Tor at least three months. 1t is
transparent, yellow or reddish In color,
and Is undiluted.
1t is principle Of medicine that an at
tack OF diphtheria produces certain
condition OF the blood which Is a safe
guard against a second attack, assuming,
OF course, that the patient lives through
the first attack.
principle and several years ago began TO
TX himself questions as to why such
condition OF the blood could not be
brought about by science. He made
various experiments and concluded that
II the blood of q horse could be made
anti-toxic and then transferred TO the hu-
man body, the desired end would be at
tanned.
He cultivated the bacilli taken from the
throats OF sufferers and introduced it first
into the bodies OF Guinea pigs. At first
the poison was SO strong IL killed them
and the experiments on other animals
were futile until the horse was tried 1t
Is possible TO kill even horse by heavy
Injections, but this 10 guarded against
by injecting small doses at first
and increasing the strength of them by
degrees. The first few doses will usually
make the horse quite sick, but as his ability
to stand them Is noticed the strength and
size of the doses are Increased
until finally the poison has no effect at all
lie Is then said to be immune. He has
passed through an attack of diphtheria
and his blood Is In relatively the same
condition as that of human being who
has passed through the different stages of
the malady.
In order to get from the immunized
horse the material for the protection Of
men, the jugular vein is tapped and
certain amounts of blood drawn of,
according to the equine's strength.
From this blood the serum or watery
part Is separated or purified 1t is then
what Is called diphtheria anti-toxine.
OF course, the horse must be sound and
free from tuberculosis or giapders.
iHt oiputhVfAo pOisou IN lnlecteI INTO
the animal by means OF a syringe and is
nothing but an hypodermic injection.
The degree OF viruience with which the
persons from whom the different samples
OF bacilli are obtained has corresponding
influence on the poison when 1t is ready
to inject into the animal, but the relative
strength is first tested on the Guinea pigs
and the corresponding effect on the horse
can then be estimated.
Professor Roux of Paris followed I'm Dr
Behring's footsteps and Is today consid-
cred the leading authority on the subject.
The diphtheris anti-toxin In use here
is procured by DIR. Chaplin from the New
York Pasteur Institute, of which DIR.
Paul Gibier Is director. 1t Is
supplied in bottles containing
25 cubic centimetres each,
quantity sufficient for an ordinary case
OF diphtheria at its iucipient stage, and
in bottles containing z &C, which IL suffi-
cient to protect at least three adults and
five children exposed TO injection.
In ordinary cases dose OF 10 c. c. 70
injected when the disease II suspected
aud before the diagnosis IL absolute, and