Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-02-08
BENNINGTON VT, FRIDAY FEBRUARY s. 1895

the injection of such doses as would
prove rapidly fatal to an uninoculated
animal of the same weight. When the
animal has been thus rendered immune,
its milk and blood serum are stated to
possess the remarkable property of
protecting other animals from in
oculation by the disease.
In order to obtain the serum blSod is
withdrawn from the body and allowed to
stand. 1t clots in a short time, the clot
being composed of fiaments of fibrin in
closing the blood corpuscles. and by the
contraction of the clot the blood is sep
arated into clot and serum, the latter be-
ing pale. clear fluid comprising practi-
usHles and fibrin. The serum obtained
in this way from the blood of animals
rendered immune, as previously de.
scribed, consti utes the 'anti-toxine''
used in the treatment of the disease, the
name being derived from its antagonistic
action to the "toxine" produced by the
bacillus. 1t may be we'll to state here
that nothing is known at present as to
the nature of the substances to which
The action of the toxine and anti-tOxine
is due. From experiments on animals,
the following results were obtained: a.
By mixing the anti-tOxine in certain pro-
portions with the toxine in a test tube,
the latter is rendered harmless; (2) by
first injecting the anti-toxine, followed
by the toxine, the same effectis produced
and (3) the oxine may be injected first
followed by the antitoxine; in this case
a relatively larger quantity of antitoxine
is required, and the interval between the
injections must be brief.
The serum used in most of the cases
reported was obtained from the horse.
The animal is rendered immune by re-
peated injections over period of two or
three months, at the expiration of which
its serum possesses very high anti-toxic
properties. The animal suffers in health
but slightly, if at all, and the operation
of bleeding may be repeated two or three
weeks after being first performed. 1t is
even said to be possible with this animal
rendered immune, as previously de-
scribed, to withdraw about a kilo of
blood at once, and to repeat this from
time to time, without any deterioration
of the anti toxine obtained or danger to
the animal, provided the injections of
toxine be continued in the intervals be-
tween the blood letting operations. The
dog, goat and sheep have also been en-
ployed, but the blood of the hotse fur
nishes a more abundant ana clearer Sc
rum than that of the other animals men.
toned.
The anti-diphtheria serum is applied
simultaneously, under the observance of
the strictest autisepti2 precautions. A
syringe which can readily be rendered
perfectly aseptic flor instance, the we'll
known Koch bulb syringe), is to be en-
plOyed, and the injections are preferably
made between the ribs, in the loins, or
on the inner side OF the thigh.
The dosage of the remedy depends up.
on the commercial source of same; and
since RouX's serum is presumably iden-
teal with Behring's, what is said of the
latter applies also to the former. Beh.
ring considers vial 40 c. c.) of his Sc
rum No l sufficient for a child under 10
years of age, if seen not later than on the
third day of the disease; advanced cases
require repeated injections of No. or
equivalent injections of Nos. = or 3. The
latter concentration is generally used for
very severe cases, with cOncomitant crit
ical constitutional symptoms.
OF Aronson's diphtheria anti-toxine,
one cubic centimeter is said to be the
dose for adults and older children, one
half cubic centimenter for young child
ren; in advanced cases the doses are re-
peated once or twice at intervals Of "a
hours.
About one-tenth of the full dose is said
co be sufficient for prophylactic measures,
and about one-fourta serves to arrest the
progress of the disease in its incubation
stage.
Under the influence of the injections,
it is reported, the general condition re-
mains unusually good; the temperature
rapidly declines, often after the first in
lection, in very severe cases of angina
diphtheritica it falls by lysis after 2-3 it,
jections. The pulse does not return to
normal as quickly as does the tempera-
ture. The pseudo cease to
spread within the "a hours after the first
injection. and they become loOsened af-
ter 30. As, at the latest, y hours. The
complications which usually follow the
recovery by ordinary treatment are said
to rarely occur in cases cured by the an
' 'ti-tOXine treatment.
The degree and duration of protective
power of the diphtheritic serum
seem to be as yet not settled definitely.
DR.. Kossel thinks that the protection of
healthy persons by inOculation does not
extend beyond three weeks.
AS for local treatment, it is generally
considered not necessary to employ it
when anti-toxine is used. Inasmuch as
corrosive sublimate destroys the diph-