The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-04-07
TO THWART DEATH.
Baltimore Doctor Suggests Use OF
CrIminals as Antitoxin Factories.

There should be only two unpre
ycntablc causes of doa,h-old age aud
accident.
An germ disease o-a durable by
antitnxins.
AutltoNins for nearly all diseases
are obtainablc through the Use OF
tn. human animal a a factory. Some
are ob,ainablc in no other way.
Convicted criminals should be used
for this purpose II they are willing.
This is an outline OF striking
argument made yesterday by DR.. H.
Burton Stevenson. formerly president
Of the baltimore County Medical as.
sociation. 1t was an impressive state.
m mt Of what has been accomplished
by sorum-thorapy--or cure by means
OF anti-toNins-and prediction OF
what will follow in the near future
"A toxin said Dr. Stevenson. lis
the poison Of a disease germ when
such germ enters the body. nature.
to combat Il, provides in the blood a
substance which neutralizes the ac.
tion Of the germs poison This sub.
stance is termed an anti-toXin.
I'VE say OF diphtheria that II runs
it's course In seven days. or of ty.
phoid fever that II runs It's course In
twentyone days. We mean by this
that with diphtheria II requires seven
days for the body to form the anti.
toxin which renders the germs poison
harmless, and with typhoid 1t re-
quircs twenty.onc days. by the njec.
/ tion of the antitoxin in the early
stages of diphthcria the poison is
|countcractcd at once the disease does
not have 10 run it's course. and the
attendant dangers are done away
with
AS a result of this great discovery
mans allotted three score years and
ten may son cease to be myth. The
twentieth century medicine will make
disease harmless indsposition and
death by accident and old age only
the order Of the day. Surgery. electro.
therapy and the -Roentgon rays are
daily demonstrating the fact that hith
lerto unconquerahic diseases are
yielding to treatment. and serum.the
rapy, the glittering dream of genera.
tions gone. is becoming a reality
THE first gllttering achievement
OF serum-therapy was the conquering
Of the loathsome disease of diphthe-
ria. The mortality from that scourge
was reduced from 36 per cent to 2
per cent This was Behring's work.
| The treatment of certain forms of
blood poisoning by anti-toxins follow
ed. Rolapsing fever. pneumonia, erys-
lpelas, tuberculosis. dysentery, tetan-
us, hydrophobia, typhoid fever, plague,
and cholera. have all been attempted
with gratifying results. Jenner's dem
onstration that smallpox could be pre-
vented by inoculation OF cowpox and
Pasteur's treatment for rabies are kin
dred discoveries. In each Of those
cases the substance injected causes
the body to manufacture the anti-tox-
ins as have common--JtrolDlzh ct
in necessary to combat the respective
poison
THE theory upon which sorum-ther.
apy Is based has been proved to be
correct beyond n doubt. The chief
difficulty in the way OF It's more gen.
eral application is the fact that such
anti.toxins as have come into common
use are obtained from the domestic
animals, and only n few OF the do
nestle animals are susceptible to the
diseases which human beings are heir
to.
This great obstacle, however, can
be overcome by using the criminals
in our penitentlaries for the produc-
tion OF anti-serums. A law making the
punishment for certain crimes option
al with the convicted-impr!sonment on
the one hand, incubation with certain
disease germs on the other-would
solve the problem for all time. With
the work In the hands OF experienced
men, chosen for their medical acumen
and not by political Influence. a hu.
man-produced anti.toxin could be fur.
nished which would supply the med.
teal profession for all. or nearly all.
the known diseases due to germs.
And II should not be dangerous to
the subjects, Baltimore News.