The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-29

THE NEW CURE FOR DIPHTHERIA-
The experiments IN the use Of the neg
antI-toxiae treatment Tor dlphtAeriz have
now progressed 20 far ard have proved
% successful that a brief statement O
What the new care IN. how Il ts USED
and vs. results Is Of genuine interest Dr.
l.. Emmett Holt has treated the subject
exhaustsveiy In ths current number or
the Forum.
ID 70 a short time ago the ravages OF
dlpnthsrla we're fearful and almost un-
checked. II was q monster worse tnAA
smallpox which graspsd with fatal
clutch the threats OF young and old N
New York city alone the deaths result
ing from diphth@ria have averaged -'"5
a year. In the United States 400 I'eo-
pie mostly children. have died yearly
from It's dread effects These figures are
startling. and they tell the power OF the
dlphtheria germ. When. therefore, dis
cOgery is made that. with the present
really limited experience Ia the a3patca-
ton OK the anti-toxine, proves conclu-
slvsty that the Glphtheria death rate tan
be decreased at least one-fourth. to speak
couserVstively. Il can be seen OF now
great Importance - this recent alscoV-
cry. attributed principally 10 Roux, OF
Paris. and BehTing, Of Berlin. P2steur.
OF course Is the man TO whom We are
indebted for the germ theory Of disease,
but il was not Until lSsS that German
physician discovered germs IN the REM
brzne which covered the threats o. ciph-
iberia victims. Even this discovery "a
not considered then Of much Importance,
because the question stlI remained how
10 klll the tAeiilas
The next step forward was the discov-
cry that the symptoms OF infectious dis
eases did not depend upon the germs
themselves. bat that this bacillus in its
growth produced a poison, known as the
diphtheria tox.ne. This was injected
into animals and produced all the symp-
toms OF dlphtherfa. except the membrane
In the throat The toxine is a poison OF
almost incredible viruIence. IL Is esti-
mated 20 be 90 times as poisonous as
morphine. Experiments were then made
10 discover how much OF the toxine was
necessary 10 De injected 10 immune the
subject firm the disease-as vaccination
immunizes against smallpox. IL was
found that If the diphtheria tOxine In
troduced was AT first small enough rot
10 kill the animal. the dose could be
gradually Increased until finally the ami
NAL could tolerate enormous doses OF IL.
IL was then concluded that there was
ia the blood something which neu;rslized
the poison Of the toxIne. and which
could be taken from one animal and
given 10 another
When the point was established that
one animal could be rendered insuseepI.-
bic 10 the disease by the injection Of
some OF the blood from an animal which
had been treated with the toxine. then
II was found that these animals would
tolerate a quantity OF the toxine. wAieh.
II given alone. would have killed them
In brief the effect % the toxine was
nentrallzed by the injection OF the anti
toxine, and the further Development q
the baciln WAS rendered difficult or I'M
possible. This was the great discovery
and IL was quickly proved 10 be as true
OF man as 81 animals
Auti-toxine IS produced from animals
about as follows. Large animals. the
hors. or COW. are usually employees Tor
the purposes OF injection. In the Dsgih-
| ming a. much OF the diDhtheria tOSlne
Is Injected as the animal can stand. The
Injections are made upon the side Of tae
animal with a syringe. Immediately a
J large swelling appears ana rapliiE
| sp~nads sometimes covering the whole
| side OF the animal After two or three
| DAYS another injection IS made. and TIE
| doses are repeated several times. The
| quantity used increasing with each desc,
| when the point is reached where the tox-
/ Ine produces no reaction. the injections
! are stopped. and the animal IS ripe,
! containing a largo amount or ant-toX-
| inc. This operation S one In which great
| care has 70 ba exercised. and Il take s
| from three 70 twelve months 10 get the
| animal into tire right condition. The ami
| mai is then bled. and from one 10 foUT
| quarts Of blood are taken. After stand
| ins few hours the blood separates into
| a c,ot and clear portion. In which lat
| ter the anti-taN.uc IS contained
The production ~ thls great remedy
| requires the utmost care and thorough
| training SO important Is Il that only a
/ pure article oe obtained that immediate
| Is upon the discovery in FFan,c a law
| was passed forhid3irE the m9nusa ctury
! OF antt-toxine except AZ the Pasteur IT,
statute. In this country no such law has
been passed. bat is manufacture is
guarded with great care
! Arti-toxtine - used to prevent ttrh
. I tnFf.A fr persons "a ittF nave tF-NA expose
and 20 cure patients afflicted With ~
| disease. Ia both cases The Injections GA
/ male beneath the skin. generally ~ IL.
/ abdomen. with a hypodsrmic syringe
Tho quantity used varies from NO =,
/ -four traspooufulA Ordinarily there arl
70 symptoms except occasionally sraa
i stcnt eruptloas ca tae skin. Ia mes
/ eases bat ere ta}ectlen ts required b4f
is severe eases tvo or three doses ar,
+ uercssary.
IRE crest upoa enc disease Is striking
j TIE temperature often fails two or thve,
/ dserees In fasnty-foaT hours. the ruesn
oraae In tae throat ceases % spread
then it g~ow. smaller. ard finally looseut
I aci comes away.
Aru-tox.oe s. great discovery. TAs
/ fuA resaits - tts Importance have ue
Sc; been reached. Il is cura fcr ~,
dread dRsther.s. That e tn itself CT 81
/ preue Importance
+ Tayou~h the passage 90 the new f,l'aln.
law California exrects % Increase So