The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-01-15
Il Has Greatly Reduced Nor
tally From DlphlhsTla.
PROMPT USE RECOMMENDED.
When Administered Within Twelve Hours
After the Outbreak Of the Disease Il
Invariably Prevss EftIcicluus.

Diphtheria has been deprived OF most
of its terRpr by the use OF antitoxin. The
report Of the Baltimore bacteriologist.
DIR. William Royal Stokes. Is triumph
ant Endorsement of the new antitoxin
cure.
out of 602 case of diphtheria treated
with antitoxin only SO proved fatal. This
reduces the death rate to $50 per cent.
which is amazingly low. out OF rs cases
OF laryngeal diphtheria treated with anti
toxin, iS recovered. the percentage OF
mortality being only SO,
"AnttoXin is one of the greatest won
ders Of medicine says DIR. Stokes. 1t
has taken all the terror outof the disease
and pat IL down as less serious than
scarlet fever. Laryngeal diphtheria was
formerly considered fatal. This was be-
fore incubation and antitoxin came into
use.
In Baltimore we have reduced the per-
contage OF deaths 10 36 (anttoxn not be-
ing used in Gil cases.. DR. Welch OF Johns
Hopkins University. collected data OF the
percentage Of deaths from the hospitals
OF this country and Europe before anti
toxin was introduced and found there
were fl.2 deaths TO every 100 cases In
this city the percentage was 5l.S7."
I'VE began the distribution OF antitoxin
to the poor IN lS9S. out OF 2l0 cases In
one year where antitoxin was used the
death rate was only 2 per cent--a marvel-
ous reduction. AntitOxin was used I'm
336 cases, where children were by force
and only one case developed"
SHOULD USE TT AT ONCE.
"It is important that the antitoxin be
used at the earlist possible moment. The
percentage OF deaths where used on the
first day IS only 4.S9. increasing until IL
reaches % per cent on the seventh"
Ia Jersey city antitoxin has been very
sree;sSss5gly, SIeS;Ssag{ used use DG John p McGili;
that the antitoxjn and calomel treat
ments are both effective. In the milder
form OF the disease calomel is very beno-
fetal. whole In the sestic form. nasal and
laryngeal nothing is so reliable as anti
toxin. Ii is not specific, but is re-
The new remedy, says DR.. r. X. Dun
used within twelve hours of the develop
ment of diptheria. II has been his experi-
ence that antitoxin arrests the disease.
except in black or hemorrhagic diphthe-
In the Emergency Hospital IL has been
used with good results by DIR. Joseph NJ
Rector Besides the injection of the anti
Snt or the SeSst Is Dr Ssmes
| uses IL also. 1t no benefit follows after
| the trst injection another Is given from
| eight TO twelve hours.
RATE LOWERED IN BUFFALO.
| Or. G. w. Bissell. bacteriologist of Buff
rate has been considerably lowered in
| that city by antitoxn. From the Health
| department come statistics that the
/ death rate from diphtheria. which was
| formerly 80 per cent, is now only 25 per
| cent and IL Is believed that by the more
| general use OF the remedy even the 25
| per cent Of fatalities will be made TO dis
appear. Too often II is used as a last re-
| source. instead OF being employed in the
| first instance.
| In St Louis the experience OF the City
! Hospital doctors is that so per cent OF the
| cases treated with antitoxin are CURED.
These are the very worst cases. too, most
| OF which had been given UP by the home
physicians.
When patient is brought in suffering
from throat trouble the first thing done
| is TO inject from 500 to . 600 units of an
| titoxin. Then follows bacterioloEical
| examna ton. If the bacillus is found q
second injection is made Of from 500 TO
| 5000 units of antitoxin. More than two
| injections are never given Even when
| the dfphtheria bacillus was not found IL
| was shown that the antitoxin treatment
was good for the throat affectidp.
| Anutoxin has been great success at
| Paterson, N. j. Before Its Introduction
| the death rate was 33 per cent. 1t has
| gradually fallen TO IA per cent. The
| beneficial results are more pronounced in
| the case of diphtheritic Group. Formerly
| the death rate was % per cent. IL is
| now 20 per cent.
| Ia Newark, N. j.. the death rate from
| diphtheria was 81 per cent before anti
| toxin was used The new remedy
! brought 1t down to 1914 per cent.