New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-19
TYPHOID FEVER TESTS.
wIDAL's METHOD OF TREATING BLOOD
WITH BACILLI CULTURES.

WITH BACILLI CULTURES
DIFFERENT RESULTS OBTAINED IN DIFFER
ENT SIGNIFICANCE OF
THE EXPERIMENTS.
There few questions which possess such live
interest for physicians at the present time as the
practical utility of what is known "Wida!s test"
for typhoid fever. This consists. many OF The
Trbunes readers already aware. OF an expert
ment made with little blood taken from the pa
TENTS veins and dropped n purely artificial
culture OF typhoid bacl. II the patient Is suffer-
ing from other disease the chances are that
the bac will not find anything dsagreeable in
such treatment. But II he really has this dreaded
maady. the bacteria likely to be so unplea SAINT
ly affected by his blood that they to wrigge.
collect in clumps and settle to the bottom Of the
mixture Only few months have elapsed. how
ever. since American bactcrio'ogists began to try
the new means Of diagnosing n suspected case Of
typhoid fever. and special efforts have been made
here and there. consequently. to collect as much
evidence as possible in order to determine the de-
gree OF certainty attaching TO It's indications The
matter was reviewed at the famous symposium Of
the State Medical Society at Albany few weeks
ago. and also at recent meeting OF one of the
great local medical organizations In this city.
There is disease. perhaps which is distinctly
recognized having a bacterial origin. that Is so
hard to detect In It's early stages as typhoid fever.
Its symptoms closely resemble those or maiarlal
and other troubles. The characteristic bacili OF
the malady do not appear 10 be as abundant and
easily found In the patients secretons as do
those Of tuberculosis diphthcria or cholera. In
deed there some thirty other species Of bacteria
closely resembling the true bacillus of typhoid
fever. but harmless in character and therefore
long and complicated series of experiments Is
necessary to establish the identity of any speci-
men which excites suspicion of this particular
disease. But in Widals test the bacilli are OBJ
tanned from laboratory, not from the patient.
and have wel!-at.ested pedigree; and their be-
havior. when a drop Of the patients blood IS
brought in contact with them. affords information
to the presence therein Of a certain mysterious
quality developed by the sickness. 1t is believed
that most disease producing bacii. after they get
into ones system, do their mischevous work by
manufacturing certain poisonous substances in the
blood and there is increasing for believing.
too. that the blood In some way not now under
Stood thcreupon goes to work in sef-defence and
produces other agents which antidotes to the
bacterial poison. That which in Widals test makes
the laboratory-bred bacilli turn up their toes
cording to this theory is not the presence Of other
bacilli in the drop OF blood taken from the patient.
nor the toxic products recently put in circulation
III MS system. nut an entirely different substance.
manufactured especially TO meet the emergency.
and thus. incidentally, revealing that the emer
At Albany the other day DR.. John Slade Ely. OF
ms CITY showed mat In s52 cases OF what was be
Ileved TO be typhoid fever. $50. or s. per cent gave
positive result when Wdal's test was applied; 49,
or per cen,; gave a negatiSe result Wniie me IN
1873 specimens of blood taken from individuals be-
behaved as II the patient had typhoid fever, whiia
fs gave no such sign 1t viii thus be seen that tic
that a person may actu"lly he suffering from ty
parayzing the laboratory bacilli; and there is also
remote possibility that the victim Of some other
disorder may afford signs OF this ono.
DR.. Ely mentioned Instances in which the ag
eliminating substance appeared IN the patients
effect as early as The second DAY Of the illness bur
he adds Up to the present time very few posi-
to the sixth day" He also notes that many OBJ.
the reaction, upon the bacli. when The blood
serum and culture are mixed. but In at least one
produced The qualities OF the culture best adapt
ed to the test must also be determined" he says,
itself better to the test and what is the best cult
ure medium. 1t is already generally conceded that
not be older than twenty-four hours and must
show active. though not necessarily violent, mo-
Or. William II. Park. Of the Health Department
OF OF on n Which di Sn' sHd boaS is &
tected makes a difference with the result. If
employed In the test, equal quantities can be mixed
with the culture fluid. But If dried blood he used,
then it must first be lquehed by the addition of at
least six times much water; and then. If equal
proportions of the culture be added. the dilution
opinion that If the reaction were obtained with
dqton Of one part in gfty the ndiGatoGs would
one in twenty-five he would say that there was
OT W in a haT o of there ten heinz b any HG
paralyzing and agglutnating effects in three in
stances where the patients were suffering from
some other malady than typhoid fever. Curiously,
all three of these persons were negroes. But had
the duton been higher. he thinks that the results
would have been negative
There is another odd circumstance which de-
mention in this connection. although IL is
doubtful whether it would mslead an expert.
The bleed OF Phod PaH Wd e to for Ssy
weeks and month"; after his recovery.
German baCterioloCist recently reported two cases
in which he obtained the reaction year after the
patients Illness.
AS the matter stands. then. ii Is impossible
to regard the method of diagnosing typhoid
fever as absolutely certain available until the
disease has been in progress for several days; but
there is "A disposition on the part OF the medical
fraternity to welcome IL a valuable aid TO their
OF her resources for detecting the character of oh
scure attacks suggestive of this dangerous maady.