The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-01-26

/ X.
Diphtheria antitoxine, injected with excel.
| i'nt effect in hospitals ana the homes of on,
tients Is derived from animals inoculatcd
with the poison generated by the diphthcria
bacillus Its action ON the blood, chemically.
is like that Of the substances created in i'll
ness-as IN scarlet fever and small-pox-which
| render an individual insusceptible 10 n sec
ond attack OF the same disorder II Ia drawn
| from the blood of horses rendered immune
against diphtheria bacilh through Repeated
| injections OF their toxines. These sstoxines
are the poisonous chemical compoun ds pro.
duced and set free by the growth of the diph-
liberia bacili," the most virulent OF which
are selected for this purpose. after testing
the strength Of the toxinos ON guinea pigs
the bouillon containing the toxines is injected
INTO horse, and other animals. OF the horses
subjected TO this process there are more than
40 whose health and comfort are So Iulous.v
cared for by trained veterinarians, i'm the
stables M iS4 East Fifty seventh street. nj the
cost Oh the health department. Into each of
them about ten drops Of tho toxine are in
lected' AFTER reaction against the injurious
effect, the doses Of toxlno are increased in
size and frequency, until, i'm less than five
months, the less sensitive horses viii receive
Without showing amy leesl- -er- constitutions
symptoms of serious disturbance. They arc
then said 10 be immunizod. When from iooo |
to 600 drops have thus been introduced. the |
horses blood holds nnti-toxinc in sufficient |
quantity for healing purposes. The blood A. |
drawn from the iugllar vein by means af a 1
canula into sterilized TASKS, with capacitv os
from one to four pints. The horses them
selves seem TO bo indifferent to the opcration
From two TO four days storage in an ice-chest
suifces for the squeezing out Of the serum
IRON the clOt. In this serum is tho dissolved
anttoxine, which has tbs power of ncutraliz.
ing the poison secreted by the special b,cillus
OF diphtheria. Different methods ascertain
Us strength. A small quantity OF il /, enough
10 save life II injected some hours before
diphtheria poison is introduced II injected
within "A hours from the outbreak Of tho
complaint, .recoycry is remarkably rapid. ~
toward the end OF its course, little or M Am.
provcncnt follows Notwithstanding pcyh
genco and delay, the mortality i'm chfllrrn,s
hospital, has been reduced from 81 10 II and
even ;, per ccnt-an achievement witbop,
parallel in the annals Of mcdicins. Tho
amount Of antitoxinc required for tho front.
ment ~ case ~ diphthcria il from lpn to
700 units, according TO the severity OF ths
case. The price OF the remedy, ~ .,ld bv tho
health department. l. Sl5O per 1900 antitoxinc
units.
Nhal statistics adduce the measure nv
which the remedial value OF antitoxine NAV
be estimated. out of 5gll eases Of SUSPECTED
iiphtheria studied by DR. Park and inspector
L. Beobe from May 4, 1873 d.artcrilovic,l
diagnosis beginning on May o., 20 Nav
S'i' 3d. OF about 81 por cent. were provcd
o be OF rue diphihoria. These were of arcs
'etween three weeks ard seventy years. Fortv.
I've per cent. ~ those under four years ~ ,ge
led Paralysis ~ the heart. or of rrspira.
III ek'endtuT 70 rhF whole body. cxtin-
'uished all vitality. Falso dipbtheria 4. usu.
i'y due 10. hartcri, tstroptococcii In IN.
hroats ot healthy persons. which cause in
ANIMATION when the mucuous membrane l.
ttAeked Wv cold or other dcletcfious forcrs
'"ttle.fash urticarial ana Insignificant
''t'ie aii-T"'-ss are thc only Inconvenience
nat follow anfitoxine inocnlation OF bealthv
er-"ns Inspector Beebe. reporting on IN.
ise snd fail of diDhthcria and oruup in N.w
ork from October :, Is,i. whom aptitoxine