The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-01-28
The FoRMALINE Treatment.
1t is Said to Have Succeeded in
Two Cases.

The announcement Of a specific for
septicaemia, or blood poisoning, which
has excited the obstetricians and led
one well-known physician to declare
it ''the most important contri bu ton
Of this generation to medical
science" belongs in the classification
created by the journalists of the last
generation of important if true. -
One clinical experiment might very
we'll be regarded as an accident.
Nature occasionally does very extraor-
dinary things and is usually reluctant
to repeat miracles. A second clinical
experiment. made under careful super-
vision and critically watched, giving
results identical with those secured
in the first instance is calculated to
challenge attention and excite the
deepest professional interest.
Two cases are now Of record which
seem to be about equally important.
The first is described as a typical but
severe case of puerperal sepsis. When
the patient appeared to be in
extremis, with temperature of 10S
and pulse Of $50, lowering between
coma and delirium and to all appear
ance beyond human help, about a
pint of formaline, of the strength of
LOCO. was injected into her circula-
tion. Before the injection test Of
the blood showed it swarming with
streptococci. The effect was instantly
beneficial. Two days later second
blood culture showed that streptococci
were still present, but in lessened
quantity. A second injection OF about
a pint and half Of formaline, COM
pleted the cure. The temperature
dropped in a few hours to normal and
the pulse to S6. A third culture
showed no streptococci in the blood.
The patient is. reported to be now
practically we'll.
The second case, while not yet in
the stage of definite recovery, seems
to have been almost as remarkable.
In this instance the patient was suffer
ing from a well-de6ned case Of blood
poisoning, with temperature of l05
and q pulse of 149. Two injections Of
formaline twenty-four hours apart re-
suited in such marked improvement
that the expectation Of recovery is
now definitely entertained. Every
symptom before treatment warranted
a grave prognosis. Present indica-
tions are said to be wholly favorable.
What was done in these cases was to
inject into the circulation an anti
septic solution capable of destroying
the bacillus of septicaemia if brought
into contact with it. 1t seems to
have done it's work but the reason
this apparently obvious method of
determination of malignant bacilli is
not generally practiced is that anti
septlcs strong enough to destroy such
usually been credited with, the capa-
city to destroy the patient as we'll.
Reasoning from the analogies of expert
ence it might be assumed that formal
line in sufficient strength to destroy
streptococci in the blood would hard
en- the tissues, impair the elasticity
and Elasticity of the Innings of the
blood vessels and render them incapa-
bic of performing their functions
Analogical reasoning might also Lead
US to expect that it would act upon
the fbrin, inducing coagulation and
forming clots which might be as fatal
as the septicaemai in another way.
Just here lies the doubt. The forma
tion of 6brinogen. is due to ferment,
which would naturally be arrested by