Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1897-10-20
Ed Herald and Tribune.
Anti. Toxine for piphtheria.


Anti Toxine for Diphtheria.
In a recent issue of your paper there
appeared an article on diphtheria, writ
ten by Citizen, in which was pointed
out that all that was necessary to be
cured or to prevent the dread disease
was to be immunized.
In n of the current medical jour.
nails we find the following: Zone Of
the strongest arguments against the
a~nti.toxine treatment of diphtheria ia
the attitude of those who are living in
the hospitals and watching the results,
who formerly were earnest advocates
of the treatment, and who after ex.
perience have from conviction become
opposed to 1t. DR.. William NJ. WEIGH,
municipal Hospital of Philadelphia, J
who has injected over 800 patients,
stated that he would not have anti.
toxine used on himself If he had diph.
iberia, that if his children had diphthe.
ria of any type he would not have
them injected, and II left to act indie
pendently and from his own convic
ton he would never inject another pa
TENT"
DIR. Warmth, Dr. Tyler and DR..
Bemis, of the Municipal Hospital,
Philadelphia, were believers in anti
toxine, and are now opposed to it. DR..
Hardin, of Washington, and DR.. Levy,
OF Richmond, came to the Willard Par.
ker Hospital thorough believer in anti
t~oxine, and are now opposed to it.
DR.. Warmth had diphtheria and re-
fused to have anti .toxine used on him.
self, likewise DR.. Leey and DR.. Hesss,
of Willard Parker Hospital, refused to
have %anti.toxine used.
Not one of the nurses on the staff of
these hospitals would have antitoxine
used on themselves for immunizing
purposes.
Variot states that the doctors and
nurses Of the Trouseau Hospital,
Paris would not have anti.toxine used
for minimizing purposes, although one
of the doctors had severe diphtheria."
My experience both in hospital and
private practice has been the same as
that of many others who are daily
testifying that they would not use anti
toxine. Any n who has seen the in
lection of this foreign matter into the
system of a little babe and seen the
look of agony that passes over the face
as the effect begins to show must he
more than brute who can stand and re-
peat this same operation over and over
until Father Time claims his reward.
In a family where there were three
little ones all had diphtheria, all had
the same physician for the first two
days when the youngest, two years old,
began to beg for the father of her lit.
tie playmate, who was a physician,
and simply to humor her the great
anti-toxine fiend consented that the
parents might call in this physician,
who was known to be an anti toxine
fiend and who was looked upon as an
unbeliever.
The consequence was that the child,
two years old, did not get anti-toxine
and is alive today, while the other two
were immunized and are dead.
This is the history Of many others,
and il the people do not take the time
or trouble to read and post themselves
this fad will continue in its death deal
ing course until men become so dis.
gusted that they will quit out of dis.
gust for themselves, after dealing death
to their many patients.
| want TO see the people of my old
home have the best that is to be had in
everything and see the little ones grow
to be men and women and for this rea
son l write this, hoping that some may
see and profit by what men like DR..
WEIGH aud the others have seen and
experienced.
Hoping that none of our friends may
ever need to be immunized,
am, yours, very truly,
WILL II. REEVES. MD.