The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-09
This Most Dangerous and Uncertain
of MaIadies May Yet he Com
pIeteIy Conquered
METHOD OF SECURING SERUM
BLOOD OF 4 CONVALESCENT PATIENT
UsED A. THE ANTIDoTEs.
Experiments Have as Yet Been Made
only with AduIts-Dr. Mora. who
saw Result, Makes Report.

BERLIN. Feb. 25.-Scarlet fever, the dis
ease in which the final result is more un-
certain than in any other-scarlet fever, the
dread Of mothers, is about to be conquered.
The great Won Leyden has discovered a
serum which he has reason TO regard as an
antidote against the awe-inspiring disease.
The serum is distilled from the blood of
scarlet fever patients on the road 10 re-
covery. This is the mode OF producing it:
After the abatement of the fever which. it
should be noted. does not disappear with
the rash, but continues in more or less de-
cided form through the progress of the
case-after the fever passes away the pa
tient is bled. of course in a manner that
gives neither pain. nor is fraught with dan
ger To obtain the serum, the blood is then
subjected TO a certain treatment, the meth
Cd Of which was worked out by Or. Blu
menthal, Professor Won Leyden's assistant.
The professor himself studied his help
mates method and approved it.
The patients are inoculated with the Sc
rum at the rate of twenty square cent?
metres. As the poison causing scarlet fever
is unknown, animals could not be used for
the initial experiments at ALL Otherwise
animals would have been inoculated with
scarlet fever and the disease driven out by
the supposed remedy afterwards. DR.. Won
Leyden bases his theory on this observa-
ton;
SCARLET FEVER BUT ONCE.
A person is attacked with scarlet fever
but once, which proves that with the abate-
meut of the disease protective corpuscles
are formed in the blood that makes the per-
son immune against a second attack as long
as he or she lives. 1.-The blood of the con-
valescent then" argues the professor, lis
in itself a remedy against scarlet fever"
Up to now fifteen persons were treated
with the new serum, all of whom expert
enced much relief, while five got over the
attack in an incredibly short time.
These fortunate five people were inocu-
lated the day after the rash had appeared
and before 1t had spread over the extremi-
ties They came to the clinic forty-eight
hours after the first symptoms of scarlet
fever had manifested themselves, as shiv-
erfng headache, hot, dry skin, flushed face,
thirst and furred tongue. Their threats
were red and swollen and the scarlet had
already spread over tongue and mouth,
face and breast, and the trunk of the body,
too, were covered with the minute red
spots before the injection was made. The
writer being present and noting the prog
ress of the disease, was in a position TO
keep an exact time record.
When visited on the morning after inocu-
lation I found the Ave persons mentioned
entirely free from fever, which circum-
stance--whatever one may think of the Sc
rum method-places a scarlet fever patient
almost directly on the road to recovery.
For my part, I thought it wonderful prog
ress seeing that my own patients fire.
quently suffered from fever for weeks,
some falling into delirium showing com
atOse symptoms, to the great alarm of
their relatives and friends
The inoculated three men and two wom-
en-. recovered rapidly and the other ten per-
sons are also well again to-day, but they
took more time to mend. their tardy recov-
cry being apparently due to unavoidable
delay in the serum treatment; at least, I
cannot think Of any other reason, particu-
larry as none of the second batch suffered
from the malignant form of the disease,
while two of the others did. TO appreciate
this. it should be noted that malignant
scarlet fever often assumes a typhus-like
character, and not unfrequently results in
death a few hours after the attack-death
by blood poisoning, it seems.
SERUM NOT DANGEROUS.
There is one feature about the serum
that recommends it even 10 the opponents
Iutely nOndangerous. Professor Won Ley
den distills it from the blood of youthful
individuals only after rigid inquiry into
their health and family records. Victims of
hereditary diseases or other ailments be-
sides scarlet, are, of course, not wanted, as
incubation by their blood might prove dis
astrous.
I had abundant opportunity for observing
the inocuIated persons None seemed to
experience any additional sufferings in con-
junction with the improvement in their con-
ditiOn. AS stated, all did well, and there
we're no bad after effects whatever. even In
cases where double the quantity OF serum
was applied.
Every physician and every mother has
reason TO rejoice in the experiments far
as they 90, for-think of it-with all our
progress we know absolutely nothing def
Rite about the causes of scarlet fever and
measles. the most common of infectious
diseases. The only thing we do know for
certain is the annoying fact that animals,
generally used for experimental purposes,
are immune against these diseases. They
cannot be inoculated with them. and. con-
sequenuy, cannot act as barometers of the
cure.
This. at the outset, made investigation
and measles could not be fought Behring
and Roux fought diphtheria. for we don't
know what is underlying these diseases.
Professor Leyden had 10 feel his way in
the dark though. of course. his prelimi-
nary steps were more or less influenced by
methods now adopted by all scientists.
Artificial immunity being impossible of
achievement natural conditions. resting in
TIE blood of the cOnvalescent, had 10 be
utilized. This. OF course restricted investi-
CATION. for the blood obtainable from a
sick person is only per cent. OF the guam
tity that can be drawn from any OF the
larger experimental animals. Besides. as
stated only a few select individuals could
be utilized for blood letting and these had
10 be treated like the proverbial raw egg
In order that the process should not IN any
way affect their health
II is not TO be wondered at then, that II
took several years to achieve the results