Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-11-25
THE CASE OF ANTI-TOxIN
DR.. Kinyonn's Remarks About Anti Vivisec-
tionists
Mr.. cfarlnnd Makes Reply-The
Benefits of Antf-TOxin Far
From Proved.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:

To the Editor of The Evening Star:
If DR.. kinyoun's Statistics about the
effect of anti-toxin on diphtheria are as in
accurate and disingenuous as his statement
following them in The Star this evening
about an incident which he evidently
CARDS as equally important, they are
worthless. That statement is: Here is a
printed report in which the writer declares
he heard a lady who was prominent in her
denunciatiors Of vivisection, say she would
rather that her child would die than that a
guinea pig should be cut up" DIR. kinyoun
himself Is the writer whom he quotes,
from his written Statement" published in
the appendix of the report, submitted by
Senator Gallinger May 70 last In the Sen
ate, to accompany the bill to regulate vivt-
section in the District of Columbia. unani-
mously adopted by the Senate committee
on the District of Columbia. On page lis
of that report. DR.. Kinyoun says, in speak
ing of the same incident, which occurred
In this city about two and one-half years
ago. 1 had consented to appear before 4
certain society for the purpose of stating
what had been accomplished by the scien-
tific researches of the laboratories In the
prevention of disease. On explaining the
value Of our methods in preventing diph-
iberia, l was told by several female anti
vivisectionists that they ewould sooner let
a child die~of diphtheria than to save Its
life by the sacrifice Of a guinea pig
Fortunately, there were a number OF dis
interested persons present at the meeting
to which he refers, and l, as one of them,
desire now to state just what occurred. DR..
Kinyoun himself said in the course of his
remarks that he had no doubt that any
lady present would rather have ten thouS-
and animals cruelty tortured than have her
child die This statement brought forth a
chorus Of protests. Later in the discussion
this protest was distorted by one of the
vivisectors into the statement which DR..
Kinyoun has now reproduced and at
tributed to "a lady and several female
observation-disclosures Instantly this was
emphatically repudiated by the ladies as
gross misrepresentation of their protest,
and DR.. Kinyoun was reminded that he had
spoken of cruelty torturing ten thousand
animals rather than to let one child die.
Yet he still persists in this gross misrepre-
sentation. This incident illustrates the fact
that vivisection often impairs the morals
as we'll as the manners of those who prac-
tice it. 1t converted me from student Of
the subject into an earnest advocate of re-
strictive legislation.
AS to the hot controversy among physi-
clans over the alleged value of anti-toxin,
which DR.. Kinyoun and the other vivi-
sectors. for their own purposes, would like
to ignore, the remarks made by Senator
Gallinger, himself a distinguished physi-
clan. who has had special experience with
3, 1
and of the Senate report referred to, are
of more value than the outgivings of those
VINO, In trying to get appropriations from
Congress, to magnify their offices, do not
hesitate to Islander and misrepresent. SAYS
Senator Gallinger: ut is also claimed that
through vtvisection the So-called anti-toxin
serum was discovered, and that through its
use the mortality from diphtheria has been
greatly reduced On the other hand MANY
of the most eminent physicians affirm that
the chief value that anti-toxin possesses Is
the commercial value to those who deal in
1t, and that 1t Is not yet demonstrated that
1t has any special curative value in the
treatment of true diphtheria- 1t. is pointed
out that one writer on the subject who as
sertS that since the Introduction of anti
toxin much larger majority of diphtheria
patients than formerly recover, gives away
his argument by saying that 1T was not
long after the discovery of the specific in
fecttng agent of diphtheria that 1t became
matter Of almost daily occurrence to find
pearance was not that of diphtheria, and
further, its absence was noticed in cases
that prevented the typical pseudomem-
brane. The former class showed us beyond
doubt that mild cases of diphtheria are
common, and probably have not been rec
ognized as such in the past. These
cases should always be Isolated It needs
no argument to prove that If the old-fash-
Toned sore throat and follicular tonsilitis
are to be called diphtheria, the proportion of
cures. whether with anti-toxin or the other
remedies so well known to the profession
will be much greater than formerly
1.-The opponents Of anti-toxin," continues
Senator Gallinger. quote such men as Dr.
Joseph Winters Of the Willard Parker Hos
rital of New York, who has had very large
experience in this matter, and who has de-
clared:
Some months ago hoped and expressed.
in company with the rest Of my asso-
ciates here. that specific fer the toxin of
diphtheria had at last been discovered Ny
n hS
experience. dealing with $50 cases at the
hospital. has been a sad-an extremely sad
disappointment. I am here as the result
Of that experience. and I regret extremely
to say tito oppose the anti-toxin treatment
of diphtheria. 1 have watched for three
months and say that not a single case of
septic diphtherla has shown one sign of i'm
provement under anti-toxin treatment
''Dr. Winters then called attention to the
fact already cited. that sore threats and
tonsilitis are being called diphtheria, ard
added:
"a man was brought in; he had slight