Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1905-03-10
FIND CURE FOR
SPINAL MENINGITIS
New Treatment Of DR.. Wolf Administered
at Hospital with Exceedingly 6rati-
fying Results.

! The New York Herald says: From
the remarkable results attained during
the last few days at Gouverneur hos
pital from a new treatment for cerebrc
,, spinal meningitis, it looks as if science
had won another decisive round in its
struggle with disease.
Properly speaking, up to the present
time there has been no accepted treat
ment for this dread disease. Its NOR.
tal1ty has varied from so per cent in
her worst stages of an epidemic to 30
per cent. when the epidemic is on the
wane. and of those cured a large per
centage have retained their lives at
the expense of their hearing, their
power of speech, their eyesight or the
use of their limbs.
The discovery of an agent to conqu-
er that disease comes at peculiarly
opportune moment. when the city is
threatened with another epidemic as
severe as that of the previsous winter.
The treatment consists of the injection
of the antitOxin Of .,diphtherla. Many
men of science will doubt the pOssiblli
| ty of the germ of one disease killing
that of another, but results in the eight
cases under the charge of DR.. Edward
Waitzfelder.,at the Gouverneur hospital
are astounding.
That his antitoxin of diphtheria had
rIy 10 off hn
meningidodis intracellularis, Oh germ
of spinal meningitis, was discovered
about four weeks ago by DR.. Wolf a
bacteriologist, of Hartford, Conn.
DIR. VOLTS experiments we're cOufn-
ed chiefly to the laboratory, though he
tried bis antitoxin in four cases in
Hartford upon request. DIR. Wolf sent
DR.. Waitzfelder the results of his ex-
perimentS and the latter put them at
once to thorough test at the govern.
ment hospital, where most of the cases
of meningitis among the poor were
sent.
CURED FIVE OUT OF EIGHT.
fielder has used the antitoxin five have
been absolutely cured without any
subsequent complications and two
show Improvement. The only uncer.
tain case is that of a..girl of 10, who
was at the hospital seventeen days be
fore she was treated with the antitox-
in.
This is a result hitherto unparalleled
in the history of the disease. DIR. Wal
tzfelder, who goes back in bis expert
ence to the great epidemic of 1873,
states that he has never known seven |
consecutive cases of cerebro spinal |
meningitis that have recovered.
The first patient treated at the hos
pital with anti toxine was boy Of 7,
who was brought in day or two after |
the first intimatiOn Of an epidemic. |
He was unconscious. delirious, blind |
and shows all the regular symptoms of |
the disease in its severe form. He re-
ceived at once an injection of 5000
units of diphtheria anto toxin.
Twenty four hours later he became
conscious, his temperature fell and his |
pupils became responsive. A second
injection was given as precautionary
measure few days later. He is now
perfectly we'll and ready for discharge.
The record case was girl Is years
old. who was in. what DR.. Waitzfelder
calls Illuminating cOndition-in
high state of excitahility, unconscious
and liable to convulsions at the slight
est touch. :. Eight thousand units of
anti toxin were given to her. Appar-
emily the girl m must die within twenty
four hours. Within sixteen hours ev.
cry symptom abated. A second injec-
tion was followed by wonderfully rapid
improvement. Within ten days she
was ready for discharge from the hos.
| pital.
Particularly interesting were the
! cases of threes brothers, from to IA
years old Another brother had died
at home after an illness of two days.
Eight Thousand units of anti-toxin
were given to each boy every forty
eight hours. Two of them are entire
ly cured. The third, if he improves
for the next forty-eight hours as he has
done, will be as well as the others.
The next patient, boy of II, was
profoundly unconscious and showed
some unusual symptoms. The pupils
would contract, then dilate when ex-
posed to light. He had the kering
symptom, which was also present In all
the other cases. After the lumbar
puncture, also done in all the previous
cases. he received Injections of 5000
aptitoxin units. After the third his
intellect cI, ared and his general pie
! ture improved. He is still dangerous
ly i'll, but surely better.
WOMAN OF 30 IMPROVED.
Perhaps the most important case is
that of a woman of 80 who was brought
to the hospital last Friday in such a
desperate condition the house super.
intendent did not move her from the
ground to the ward for fear she would
die on the way. DR.. Waitzfieldel
thought she had about thirty minutes
to live when she gave her the first in
lection.
For two days she was unable tt
Swallow. The curious fact was noted
that the first treatment the woman
who had cross eye, became crossed
|in both eyes. Then both eyes became
nearly straight, and now the orlgins
squint has returned. The woman wa
so far improved as to be able yesterda,
to ask for drink of water, and vii
probably live.
| Dr Wsitzfeldar's a theory Of the actiO