Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-04
CURED PNEUMONIA ATTACK
Response to the Treatment Was Said
to Be Remarkable.
RELATIVES WERE SUMMONED
DR.. Beardsley Says the Pane Medicine
Has Been Used With Good Re-
suits by Other Practitioners

l. Beardsley OF this city will in the near
future contribute an article to the medi-
cal journals detailing an interesting and
successful experiment with serum called
antf-pneumoc0ccic in the treatment Of
case OF pneumonia. DR.. Beardsley, who
for the past twenty-five years has been
medical examiner Of the town and until
last February health on7cer, has Just de-
clared out Of danger as the result Of the
use of this serum young woman who had
apparently reached the stage where dis
solution begins. Owing to the prevalence
OF the disease here and the large number
OF deaths recently the city Is greatly stirred
over the outcome Of the experiment.
Mrs. William Dreisow, thirty-one, and
the mother Of two small children, was the
patient. On Saturday evening" January 20,
DR.. Beardsley was called to attend her.
He at once discovered that she was SUI
fering from pneumonia and began treat
ment along the old lines. On the third
day the woman's condition became desper-
ate; She had suffered for years from
more serious. Hot water bottles were
placed about her and trained nurse was
at once sent for.
Her Pulse Was 1873.
The Rev. I. A. Marsland. pastor of the
First Methodist Episcopal Church, of
which Mrs. Dreisow Is a member. was at
the womans bedside when DIR. Beardsley
called on the morning Of January 20. 1t
was evident that the patient was dying.
She lay in a stupor and could be reused
with difficulty. The pulse was 1853 beats
per minute. her respiration So and her
applied to the chest and the right lung
was found to be congested, while the left
was badly diseased. The physician express
ed regret that he was not called earlier
and left the house. The clergyman has
tened to call the relatives from a distance
and then returned to assist the nurse.
DR.. Beardsley returned to the Dreisow
home at noon. bringing with him the lat
est discovery Of medical specialtes, anti
pneumococcic serum. He injected two walls
OF this into her back under the right
shoulder blade. gave directions that the pa
tient should be kept in position on her left
side for an hour and urged the faithful
use Of all prescribed remedies. In q very
short time the patient began to show signs
of improvement. She took nourishment and
heart stimulants. and when the physician
returned at 3 pm. she was decidedly bet
ter. Her pulse had dropped twenty-five
beats. her respiration had dropped to forty
eight and her temperature to l02 degrees.
At o'clock that evening still further gains
were shown. Her pulse was 1877 and tenn
perature 1O1. A second injection of the
serum was then given. and the patient
rested comfortably all night, being aroused
[.
This is the ninth day of the disease and the
patients temperature was only one-half a
degree above normal and her pulse an even
100.
Doctor Tells Of Serum.
The many sudden deaths in Derby during
the past few weeks from pneumonia have
made this case notable one. Local re-
porters have tried to obtain the facts for
publication but DR.. Beards!ey declined to
be interviewed. He admitted that the
facts obtained elsewhere were as stated. and
reluctantly consented to tell about the new
serum.
I'm the first place." said Dr. Beardsley.
ut must be understood that the serum Is
responsible for the apparent miracle It
was discovered by Prof Pane. Of the Royal
University of Naples. some years ago. and
has been used with excellent results by
italian and French physicians on the con-
tinent. I became interested in 1t while visit
ing Paris but this Is the first time I have
ever used it, or that 1t has been used in
this section OF the country to my knowl-
edge. 1t has been used at GOldsbOrO Nd,
however. with success. there being a record
Of only seventy-two deaths out of 46S cases
treated. or a mortality Of only Is per cent.
sent for some Of the serum after hearing
of the experiments in Maryland. DR.. Osler
maintains that the mortality rate for pneu-
monia runs from 25 to IS per cent.
ut was the celebrated bacteriologist, DR..
William H. WEIGH of Johns Hopkins Uni
versity, who was a classmate Of mine in
Yale who directed the attention Of the med
ical fraternity to the fact that in pneu-
monia we had a germ at the bottom of the
trouble just as we have in dip htheria and in
consumption. It was this discovery that
directed attention to the search for a serum
for destroying the germ. am confident
that we now have 1t in this Italian discov-
cry. 1t has been recognized for a number
Of years that pneumonia was contagious.
At a recent medical congress held in Turin
the value of the serum as a destroyer of
the germ was proved, but after its admin
istra ton the physician must rely upon the
usual treatment to pull the patient out"