New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-31


TISSUE TO us ACTION
From Chamberss Journal
The science OF immunity -the study ~ toxins and
snttoxins, or In more home3 language. polS1ns
and their antidotes. as We may tr,petutrI uesis
nate that great fed OF Tcseir-h which has Tor us
ambitious aim tho banishmeH; o.; dise5s" from our
mdst-has already ATTRACTED Et">tisators Of me
most diverse natonalities i1'" i- seductive prov
inces. among whom many have t.tpcd u rich mar
vest OF discoveries and len -nidcn record 81 re-
suits craven on Its roll OF Tan. 80 yen 80 80
have elapsed since the malignant mlcrobe OF LOCK,
Jaw, or tetanus, was frs -urc"sSIniR SepatsLta
rom us harmless associate hN loung Jhrd" r
student investigating bacier,a. processes IN Dr.
koch's laboratory in Berlin <itaSaios disc9NerS
was OF immense importancr. 'or u opened ne H
avenue not only to better understanding OF me
nature OF this terrible dseas" o iockia", oui also
resting IFS fatal course in those unfortunate IN
diyiduas who had fallen victims 10 rs machlha-
As and more progress made in the pro
duciion % anutorins. subsiarMe propaDy cnienS
time with the new cure FOR d.phtheria: as our
these potent destroyers has advanced science has
become possessed OF number "i antltoNlns of az
almost as much ease and simplicity a. the most
common OF our household drur- "r family remedies;
these so-caed new cures have proved. and we
have records OF successes achieved hdling from Al
plague yellow fever. diphthera - We'll as IN COM
passing the lethal action OF thc venom ~ seIpents
subject TO master and Will" encouraging results
have been from time to time received Of the efhcacy
OF rs antitoNin. there have also been many disap-
pointing instances recorded In which It's use has not
been attended with any sucres- Thest anut9 no
mails which have been ariihcail> rendered incapable
such blood being desisnai cd according 70 us orlsn
"ant-dphtheria, antl-i'ian"f ant-P'asue
SO far he application OF these various snttoxins
has consisted In simply injecting some under me
kin OF the individual ii f. intended relieve: but
a short time ago some Investigations were pub
lished which bid fair 20 reveal an entirely new
aspect OF the whole study Of the preventive treat
mcnt Of disease For those extremely important
researches W. indebted to Or RouN Of the Paris
Pssteur Institute, and his discovery Will undouDi-
eddy mark a new era In The history OF preventive
medicine The distressing SIMMONS OF tetanns al
system OF its victim Now the failure in so many
Instances OF the antitoxin TO mitigate In any way
the progress OF the disease shows that either II
was Incapable OF arresting the passage or tne virus
10 the nerves or that TIE antoxn Itself nes st
tack the seat OF the disease directly and place the
sntltoxin where the activity OF the toxin IS gIes
est" exclaims Dr. Roux and with chsI mar, t
scientific enthusiasm he at once proceeds 10 put
this bold idea into execution. and we shaii see see
presently with what results But IN or1er 10 uiSp
any erroneous impression which may arise as 10 me
nature OF these experiments. which nVoiIe tne IN
PRODUCTION Of material direct INTO ne oralio % @
animal he tells us expressly that when harmless
substance is used or an anttoIn IN sue" Il" rasl1s
lion. the animal suffers absolutely no III I eS.',
whatever. and experiences no sort OF subsequent
The results OF Dr. Roux's cerebral inoruIs tons
are OF the most remarkable character In tne mrs.
place he has discovered that tnr oraln
nervous tissue ~ an animal possesses sp'qq
affinity for this tetanus poison TIA tho IateI -
attracted II by magnet 10 tnosc centres OF ne
body. secondly. very small P''u'llN' wv. 4
less under ordinary circumstances. INTRODUCED
directly into tho brain n'ably destroys an ANNA ma
with tetanus symptomS ms an'hha ILL., bro,o,,
nerve-ces OF the body for posons has neon otoue1t
smpIe rats ar. proof against dphtheria and will
survy. dose sufficient 20 XIII several rshbis nIL
II some or the virus he introduced directly INTO Iner
brains instead OF under their skin these animals
succumb 10 this poison. The same has beeh Stow
in The case OF rabbits and morphla. These ANNA
can stand a large subcutanoous dose Of this sub
stance. hut an extremely minute quantity pa. mo
regards dphtheria poison. and rabbits m me case
% morpha are able under ordinary circums' ancc
on,jt3ti@n and character OF this extremely VOL
orcsnz-d system Of defence undoubtedly possessed
which is daily exercising tho speculative ingenuity
or ths highest scientific authorities. We have seen
nositIon Us lethal action may be immensely aug
nented. now Ne shall see what results toiow tne
different placing Of the anttoNin. and pr ItouT
next endeavor was to ind ont the action Of the
tetanus antioyin as regards the lethal reatohs1lp
which exists between the tetanus toxin ana the
Her. ". com. TO his most astonishing discovery,
The tetanus antItoNin. or ant-tetanus serum. when
49,, drectI,, into no bra possesses the power of
breaking oN entirely annulling the fataI assoCls
ton OF the tctanus toxin with the nervous system
A siue'. drop OF auti-tptanus blood added 10 dose
% IN. poison sufficient under ordinary condition
~ destroy an animal entirely checkmatN' tae
lethaI action of the toxin. and the latter may 10
introduced with impunilv in'o me brain on ~.
animal sin more striking are the e1perimHnt :
which show thai q few drops ~ blood introduced
INFO the brain OF an animal Injected win tf'Sn. :
m. animals life although a very much larger
quantity Of the nrood introduced In ~" ordl-
nary wav under the skin fails entirely 20 peX'nt
an animal from falling victim TO tetanus. WHat
a Vista IS hprr opened up OF what m"il,al tsirnce
may m the future accomplish II Is not sunlclent
"a locaIizp the disease; must also locaiiZe ne
remedy Who can say what ne application o. ms
sraat discovery may achieve I'm the case OF epilepsy
for example? Again. Or. RouXs researches nay
enlarged the active sphere OF poisons and Vastly
eXtende. their horizon. and 10 correctly define q
.ubstanc. as A poison now. more than ever dr
mands the subtlest skin and the highest sc'enth'
q ftdiumenfs