The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-03

Care should he Observed in Guardin
Against AduIterated Serum.

Care should he Observed in Guarding
Against AduIterated Serum.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2.-The officials of
the United States Marine hospital service
are watching with interest the results OBJ
tanned from the new diphtheria cure. The
officials arc already in possession of con-
| siderable Information as TO the manner
| and results of applying the anti-toXne in
| Berlin and Paris, and the bureau recently
| published two reports made by DIR. j. j.
| Kinyoun, who visited the Children's hos
pital at the former place, and the Pasteur
institute at Paris, to study tho methods in
vogue there.
Tho doctors report of his visit to the
Pasteur institute has already been pub
lished. At tho Children's hopital at Ber-
lin, DIR. Kinyoun says the larger proportion
of cases suffering from diphtheria are
treated. There were about 30 cases in the
hospital at the time of his visit, and their
age was usually less than years. The
methods of giving the injections of anti
toxine and the time for their adminstra-
ton are much tho same as in the Pasteur
institute. The death rate is slightly
lower than tho figures of the Paris hospi-
tai, for the reason that in tho first place
tho patients arc sent to tho hospital
sooner and because tho little children re-
ceive better care than is accorded them in
like institutions in Paris. DIR. Kinyoun
goes into n very elaborate description of
tho methods and practices employed in
the hospital in tho treatment of tho dis
ease.
Tho matter OF the control or supervision
OF The use of the anti-toSine is also engage
ing the attention of the local authorities,
and DIR. hinyoun reports that on Nov. 4
Professor Koch convened meeting of
the PrussIan board of health for deter
mining what action should be taken in
that regard. Professor Koch had ex.
pressed the opinion that there should be
some government supervision of tho
serum, SO that it could always be relied
upon. If there was no such supervision
IL would not be very long before spurious
articles would be put on the market, and
not only would a good remedy be brought
into disrepute, but live would be sacri-
feed when they might be saved. 1t was
decided at the meeting of the board that
all serum intended for use in Prussia
should be inspected and tested for its
purity and strength before it would be al
lowed to DO used. This step, tho doctor
reports. was satisfactory to all the parties
concerned, and will be tho means of in
surfing a good article of standard strength
at all times for Prussia. In this connec-
ton DIR. Kinyoun calls attention to what
ho says will evidently occur in our own
country. Many persons will, during the
coming year, commence to prepare the
serum as a business enterprise, and there
will, without doubt, be many worthless
articles called anti-toxine thrown upon
the market.
All the serum intended for sale, he be-
lieves, should be made or tested by COM
potent persons. The testing, in fact,
should be done by disinterested parties
Tho anti-toxine, he says, will never work
miracles; il has its limits, like any other
agents, and like perfect piece of ma
chinery, will not accomplish the full re-
suit unless directed by a skilled hand.
'Some persons affected with this dread
disease will succumb, IL matters not how
soon we apply the remedy. The majority
will, however, l am sure, recover if the
anti-toxine is given early and properly"
In closing, the report expresses the
hope that soon every state and municipal
ity will take the proper steps to provide
facilities for supplying the remedy to the
people. Incorporated in tho report are n
number of tables, or charts, showing the
effect on the respiration, pulse and tenn.
perature of the administration of the anti
toXine IN various cases.