The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-19
A ROAST FOR
 HEALTH BOARD Coroner Fug aOuser Ren- dersE Verdict. DEATH o.9 EVEN cHn nDREN
Said to 2 ve Been Caused by
 P0ss.ned Antit0xine.
It Was Extracted from c Horse Be- lieved to Have Been Suffering from Tetanus-Findings
 of Bacteriologists.

houSer today renoereo A Veroict HhuinS the St. Louis Health Department negli- gent in the preparation of diphtheria anti-toxine that caused the death by lockjaw of the seven children to whom it was recently administered for diphthe- ria
 For sometime the City Health Depart ment has been making anti-toxine for use in diphtheria cases. This was dis tributed among practicing physicians throughout the city free of charge and used in the city institutions quite gen. erally. In many cases 1t is said to have saved lives. The serum in the present case was obtained from horses that are said to have contracted tetanus.
 The findings of the committee of bac- teriologists as presented to the coroner were as follows:
 .'The testimony shows that the Health Department owned a horse named Jim stabbed at the poor house farm and used in the preparation of diphtheria antitoxin Said horse Jim developed tetanus Octo- ber 2 1901 and was at once killed. Blood was drawn from said horse Jim on August "A, 1901. the serum of which was non-toxic.
 'BlOOQ was again uTdNH rum 0dAo hCA ASS Jim September 30 (during the period or the incubation of tetanus) the serum of which contained tetanus toxin.
 ',The serum drawn September 90, 1901 was issued by the Health Department in bottles bearing labels, respectively dated Aug. 24, 1901, and Sept. 30. That the toxic serum drawn Sept. Su, l9Ol was issued is shown by the fact that the toxic serum dated Sept. 30. 1901, is iden- tical in the following particulars: First in appearance; second, absolute weight third, specific gravity: fourth, freezing point; fifth, chemical reaction; sixth. spectrum analysis; seventh, antttoxic potency, and eights, toxic value In pro- ducing tetanus in lower animals. "The non-toxic serum drawn August | A 1901, and so labeled, in no wise agrees | with the toxic serum in any of the above | characteristics.
 "As a result of our Investigations we draw the following conclusions: The | diphtheria antitoxin prepared by the | Health Department of the city of St. | Louis and dated Sept 30 and some of the serum dated August "A, was the causes of the recent deaths in the cases where | this anti-toxin was used. This antitoxin | was sterile, but contained the toxin of [ the tetanus bacillus in considerable amount. There were two different sera NAiN
 portion not containing the tetanus toxine and characterized by other properties,
 while the other contained the tetanus | toxine and was identical with the serum | bearing the date of Sept 30.
 The most important result we have arrived at is the positive determination | that the toxic serum dated August "A and that dated September 30 are identical. From this we conclude that the serum of | G., aIav hon hux vi Inc been tested by the proper methods and | that part of 1t was filled into bottles | bearing the date of August "A or was fur l nished with labels having previously been | stamped with this date. We are justified | in drawing this conclusion from two ob- | servations: First, that the serum of Sep | tem5er 30 was issued before there was | time to have performed the simple tests | necessary to ascertain the antitoxic pO-
 tency of the serum; second. in the same
 way serum dated Octobed g came ir | our possession November f. This serum had been issued to physicians by the
 Health Department and by them returned
 to the office. It is obvious from this tha | no animal experiments could have beer
 made with this antitoxin. As this was the
 case with the serum of October g it Is tht
 natural inference that the serum of Sep
 tember 30 was issued in the same way.
 Tt Is impossible for latent tetanus t;
 gus, "A to Septe mber 30. as no we'll au
 gust 2 4to September 30, as no well au
 thenticated cases have been reported 1T
 which the incubation period extended
 ov, seven days in experiments directed
 to test this point The period of incuba ton cannot be determined from clinica
 observation but from the nature of tn
 case It therefore follows from this tha the serum drawn August 24 was free iron tetanus but that the serum of Septembe ! 30 was drawn during the period of tncuba , ton and had it been tested upon animal it must necessarily have revealed its toxi
 properties.
 "From the foregoing facts we are force'
 to conclude that the diphtheria antitoxil
 prepared by the city Health Depari men had been issued before it was possible L
 have obtained results from the abzolutel, nc cessary tests. Had thase tests been per
 formed the results upon animals woul
 have been such that the serum would no have dispensed and the cases of tetanu forming the basis of this report could no have resulted.