Evening star., 1896-12-12
AGAINST ANTI-TOXIN.
Mr.. Kennedy Makes Reply to the
Argument of DR.. Adams.

AGAINST ANTI-TOXIN.
Mr.. Kennedy Makes Reply to the
Argument of DR.. Adams.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
Referring to DR.. Lennox Browne, from
whose article on "The Anti-ToXin Treat
ment of Diphtheria," published last July
in the Contemporary Review. 1 quoted in
my communication which appeared in last
Saturdays Star DR.. S. S. Adams says in
Wednesday evenings issue:
II am not unfamiliar with the ingenious
methods of this so-called eminent special
ist of England, but must inform Mr.. Ken
nedy that he is not regarded as an author
ity at home, much less in any other coun-
try
Dr. Adams is mistaken as to DR.. Browne s
professional standing, both at home and
abroad. But II was not DR.. Brownies I'm
genious methods that 1 attempted to lay
before your readers-it was his criticisms Of
the report Of the asylums board hospitals
of London and his opinions and conclusions
based upon his own extensive practice and
his careful and continued observa ton of the
use OF anti-toXin in the treatment of diph-
liberia. Much Of what he says in his ar
ticle in the Contemporary Review grows
out of his own t'comparative study Of 100
cases OF diphtheria treated with serum
supplied from the, British Institute of Pre-
ventive Medicine on the one hand, and 100
cases treated during corresponding period
in the previous year without serum-both
at the same one of our isolation hospitals,
the Northwestern. and therefore under the
same hygienic conditions and personnel
This article should be studied in a true
scientific spirit by every physician who
uses or thinks of using anti-toxin in the
treatment Of diphtheria l was aware of
Sir Joseph Listers favorable opinion of the
serum, but he cites in support of it's use
the very report which DR.. Browne criti-
cises as untrustworthy and misleading
If DR.. Adams Is, as he says. mot unfa-
milar with the ingenious methods of this
so-called eminent specialist it must sure
ly be by inadvertence and certainly with
out meaning TO tnsinuate that he is not a
physician. that he calls him Mr. Lennox
Browne. Surgeons in England are only
described as Mr. when they are not also
doctors of medicine but Dr. Lennox
Browne is both a fellow of the Royal Col
lege Of Surgeons and an NJ. D. Doubtless
DR.. Adams Is as familiar with DIR. Brownies s
earlier essay on "Diphtheria and It's Asso-
ciates" as with his ingenious methods"
point in his Contemporary Review article
simply from aversion to "a newspaper con-
troversy with a layman.''
20 DR.. Adams seems to think that Dr. VIM
ter of the Willard Parker Hospital in New
York stands alone among New York ply
sctans in his opposition to anti-toxin, but
in the same issue of The Star in which my
communica ton appeared there was copied
a paragraph from the New York Times to
the effect that the medical practitioners of
that city were taking very decided grounds
for and against the use of anti-toxin, and
that the new cure would be the subject of
three separate discussions by New York
doctors this month. And strangely enough
these doctors have SO little of what Dr.
Adams calls "the American eagle" in them
that instead of being content with an ex-
elusive, patriotic, American medical science
they are going to listen to a paper prepared
by DR.. Louis Fischer, entitled: 1.-The Treat
ment of Diphthera: An Inquiry into Mod
ern Methods Employed at Berlin in the
summer of 1896. Through the courtesy of
Prof Baginsky.'' 1t was from the Ger
mans that we got anti-toxin, and the re-
suits Of their continued experiments with 1t
must be of scientific interest and may be of
practical value to all concerned
Having disposed of Mr." Lennox Browne
in such a courteous and scientific way Dr.
Adams announces his determination to
stand by the serum and disposes of me as
folloWs
L shall continue to urge physicians to
use antl-tox1n serum in the treatment of
diphtheria. My OBJECT in doing so is purely
humanitarian, hence the impoSSibility of
surmisng the motive of an attorney-at-law
in discrediting the value of remedy which
is believed by very many conscientious ply
sicians to be a boon to children
A more delightful example of the nom
sequitur combined with the argumentum ad
hominem could scarcely be found. Dr.
Adams object is humanitarian, hence the
attorney at-laW" If the doctors object
were not humanitarian, it might not be
impossible for him to surmise the motive of
an attorney-at-law! Personalities are al
ways to be avoided because they distract
attention from the merits of the subject
under consideration, and besides it is neth-
er polite nor scientific to raise the uues-
tiOn of motive" in referring to a person
who has indulged in no personalities what
ever. Still. the assumption by physician
that there is necessary incompatibllity be-
tween n "humanitarian'' and an attorney
at-law' Is amusing, and We should be grate-
and serious world. Dr.AdAms seems to think
that no lawyer could read about the sud
den death of a healthy child by an injection
OF serum from its.own fathers hands with
out taking merely legal view of the case.
even if the lawyer had children of his own
who were likely to be poisoned and killed
in the same way.f OF course after the first
shock or horror the question might occur
to a lawyer OH any intelligent person
whether there Was any criminal RESPONSE
bility for the death, and whether If. after
such warnings, of which there have been
many on both sides of the Atlantic phy-
sicians persist inzsuch treatment they NAV
not be liable to be indicted for mansiaugh.
ter, If not for murder in the first degree.
Ihe Following Is Dr. Brownies allusion to
that deplorabie incident:
Considerable attention has been given to
the painful case in which Prof. LangerhanS
of Vienna injected serum-for prophyIactic
Pui poSeS-liito iiiS OWl son, aged
and nine months with an Immediately fatal
result This is unfortunately a by no
means solitary exelnple, but on account Of
the high position held by the administra-
tor it has been subjected to specially rigor-
Gus investigation AS I write, the result is
not yet complete, but already 1t is clearly
demonstrated that the child was perfectly
healthy. that the injection was properly
given, that the needle did not pass into the
abdominal cavity, and that neither veins
nor iymphatic vessels were injured. Neither
vas there any embolism or any air present
In the chambers of the heart. The only
possible cause, therefore. was in the serum
whether the serum was originally impure.
or decomposition had taken place during
its storage, 1t cannot be considered to be
the harmless agent repeatedly claimed
| for II !"
1t was In this connection that Dr. Browne
| illustrated the danger lurking In the serum
| itself by his reference to Death and the
White Horse" which noticed In my syn
| opsis Of his article. and which is worthy OF