Evening star., 1901-06-22

WHICH OlrI mas entered VIII 90 Well TO nave
it attended to at once, for once allow the
germ to grow, the rapidity with which the
poison operates is remarkable RouX and
Eaillard injected a fatal dose of tetanus
poison into the middle part of the tails OF
several rats. After varying lengths of
time the tails of the rats were cut off. In
every case where the cutting off of the tail
was delayed longer than forty minutes the
animal died. Edmund Rose says that no
orie eight - cot tsa.. c:2Sed fsoeS the
Sruona m an oi-.aaiff without thoroughly
washing it, because the earth clinging to
such fruit may contain tetatnus germs
which might find lodgment in some un-
healed tooth socket in the jaw.
The savagess of the New Hebrides were
familiar with the operation of locktaw poi
son, for this is the poison they used on
their arrow points, obtaining it from the
slime that lined the crab-holes in swamps.
Probably these saVages knew that the
poison might be swallowed with more or
less impunity, but its presence in a fester-
ing opening, such as an arrow wound
leaves, would cause horrible death in a
few days. The. curious property of the
poison is that 1t needs a peculiar environ
ment in order to produce detrimental eff
fects. For it is the poisonous effects of
the germs, not the germs themselves, that
cause fatal results You mig..t inject into
the body one two million spores from
which the toxine had been removed and
get little or no troublesome effects. In
fact, this was done to guinea pigs and it
, proved harmless, because the white blood
cells-the policemen of the circulatory sys-
tem-rapidly absorbed them ate them bod
lly, and so prevented them generating more
poison. But when even non-pathogenic or
ganisms were injected with the tetanus
baciih, or when there was previous bruise
of the tissues or when the bacilli were
protected by an injection of agar jelly or
any other substance which prevented the
white blood cells from attacking them,
then the injection always proved fatal. So
it will be seen that mixed infection is
fn oil
Likes Extraordinary Heat.
''The bacillus of tetanus is slender rod
usually occurring singiy. 1t will not grow
at a temperature below II cegrees cent?
grade. 1t will thrive at 20 degrees cent?
grade and likes best the ordinary tempera-
ture of the human body. 1t will not live
in the presence of oxygen. which, by the
way, is an important fact, from a medical
standpoint. Unlike some other germs it
does not speed through the body after hav-
ing once entered 1t. but remains in the
wound through which 1t entered. The poi
son 1t makes, however, rapidly traverses
the blood and even the nervous system,
those muscles nearest the wound, however,
being soonest affected 1t affects the body
in a manner similar to strychnine but be-
yond this general declaration there is very
little to be said concerning it's action
Whatever it is there can be no doubt of
the terrible virulence of the germ. Henri
jean owned a splinter of wood which had
CAUSED IOCkJdW, ana eleven wears after the
first accident he was able again to cause
the disease by inoculating an animal
with the same splinter.
The Preventfves.
Knockout drops, that is to say, choral,
is of the leading remedies for tetanus
Morphine and certain bromides may also be
used with good effect, but the anti-toxine
treatment is the best preventive. Re
member, say preventive; there is no cure
for the acute form of the disease. This
Is because the microbe usually gives no
sign of its presence in the body until the
sufferer is thoroughly poisoned. Suppose
you tread upon rusty nail or cut your
foot. and dirt containing lockjaw mi
crobes gets into the wound. The wound.
which may be slight, may heal up and even
be forgotten, for the microbes must go
through a period of incubation in itself.
apparently puts the body to no inconven-
ience. This period of incubation may be
short or long: it may be day or
month, depending on the virulence of the
microbes. If the period is long, say two
weeks or month. there is chance for re-
covery, but Woe to the man whose symp-
toms show themselves within week after
the accidental cut was made which allowed
the germs to enter his body. Nothing can
save him. His system is already poisoned.
and the twitching of his muscles is really
the beginning of his death struggle. His
face and neck muscles will presently stiff
fen and his features will take on the ter
rible 'sardonic grim He should he watch
ed, for the SpaSm that will take him off
may come so suddenly that there will not
be time to reach his bedside from across
the room before he will be dead. l had
such case recently in Bellevue. / was
called to see a colored man who seemed to
be suffering from some malady. There was
cut in process of healing on his left heel.
1 examined the wound and found it lit
orally alive with tetanuS microbes. They
had entered with the dirt that had got into
the wound. / knew then that the man was
doomed. and that in spite of his healthy
appearance he might die at any moment.
He was given chloral and other drugs and
made to sleep. l told the nurse to
watch him constantly. for if he awakened
during the night the mere act of swallow
ing might bring on the spasm. Well. dur
ing the night a noise awakened him. He
looked around: the nurse was at the other
side of the room and started toward him.
Suddenly he moved. The spasm took him,
and he was dead before the nurse could
reach him.
Antf-TOxfne Treatment.
"In fact the chances of recovery are di-
rectly as the result of the incubation period.
Speaking approximately, it may be said
that a four-day incubation period is dead
ly; for eight days, the mortality will be 90
per cent; for ten days, so per cent; fourteen
days 40 per cent, and SO on. An ounce of
prevention in this case is worth a thou
santh-weight of cure. If you receive an in
fected wound have anti-toXine injected at
once. Don't wait an instant. Here in the
New York health department We have two
horses which are immune from tetanus.
Probably they are the only animals in New
York which could not contract tetanus in
the ordinary manner They furnish the
anti-toXine serum. They are made immune
by injecting into them small harmless
amounts of lockjaw poison, then gradually
increasing the amount as the days go by
until finally they can take a quart of the
poison with impunity. From their blood.
redrawn after they have become immune,
we get the anti-toxine serum, which is sent
out in bottles and has protective strength
of one to several millions.
THAT is, one cubic centimeter of the SER
um will protect so many million grammes
Of animal against a fatal dose of tetanus
poison. OF course, the doses are grad
uated for human beings SO that doctors