Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-11-22
INFECTIOUS CASES
CAN ALL Be CURED.
DISCOVERY OF OPSONINS IS GREAT
BOON FOR MANKIND, SAY
DOCTORS.
EXPERIMENT WITH NEW SERUM
Helps White Blood Corpuscles to Over
come Disease-ActS as "Chih"
Sauce, Say Chemists.

MADISON, Wis, Nov. 15.-[Spe-
| cial. IA correspondence course of
| twelve lessons on the theory of immun-
ity from communicable diseases has just
! been inaugurated by DR.. William ID.
| Frost of the bacteriology department of
| the University of Wisconsin for the ply
sicians of the state. III connection with
! his important new extension work 1t
planned to bring the medical men to
the university for two weeks i'll the fine
ly equipped laboratories of the bacteria
| logical department, one week between
semesters in February and one at the
close of the college year in June.
An important part of the instruction
| in the new course in immunity is the
study Of the opsonic index theory, one
of the most interesting of recent devel-
opments in the prevention and cure of
infectious diseases. The opsonins DIR.
Frost popularity describes as the chilli,
| sauce for bacteria, preparing them as
food for the white blood corpuscels, so
nat they may be absorbed and de-
stroyed. He has been studying the the
DRY and it's application to various dis
eases in the university laboratories, and
| in conjunction with Madison physicians
has treated several serious cases. His
| explanation of the new treatment is
/ therefore authoritative, and its evident
| value in medical practice makes 1t OF
| peculiar interest.
Useful in Many Diseases.
THE discovery of the opsonins and the
| relation which they sustain to the treat
ment of certain infectious diseases has
created a great deal Of discussion, first
| among physicians, and lately among the
laity," says Dr. Frost. "By many it is
considered that no more important dis
coyery has been announced since the anti
! toxine treatment for diphtheria was CIV
en- to the world. Certain it is that fol
lowing the use of the procedures devel-
oped in connection with this line of work
very remarkable results have been Sc
cured, not only by Sir A. E. Wright Of
England, who discovered the opsonins,
but also my many workers in various
| parts of the world. For certain dis
eases it has been found possible to pro-
| duce antitoXines, as for example, lock-
jaw and hay fever, but particularly for
diphtheria. For other diseases it is pos
sible to make antiseria, which are not
antitoxic in nature but do have the pow
er of destroying the infectious agent.
| For third class of diseases, however, it
| is impossible to secure serla either to
antagonize the toxins or microbes. 1t is
for this class of diseases that the new
therapy is especially applicable. Against
these diseases successful vaccinations
have been made, and will undoubtedly
be found increasingly useful. The dis
eases applicable to this method of treat
ment include localized and chronic in
fections such as acne, various abcesses,
gonorhoea and localized infections having
| general symptoms, as tuberculosis, and
also such diseases of a general and acute
nature as blood poison and pneumonia
all have been successfully treated"
Chilli Sauce for Microbes.
For more than a quarter of cen.
| fury" continues DR.. Frost, ''the theory
that the white blood cells or leucocytos
act in the body as policemen who attack
and destroy the invading Microbes has
been prominently before the world. That
these cells can and do take up living mi
crobes in their bodies and destroy them
is well-knOwn fact, but that this power
to INCEST microbes depends upon the pres
ence in the blood serum of certain sub:
stances was discovered by Sir A. e.
| Wright of London in 1902. These sub
stances act on the microbes and not on
the white blood cells. They are the chill
sauce for the bacteria, preparing the
bacteria as food for the white blood cells,
| and are hence called opsoninS, from
Latin word meaning I cater to-
Index Explained.
wright and his associates, further
| more, devised a way of measuring guam
titatively the relative amount of opsonin
which the blood of given individual
may possess This amount, compared
with the normal, gives what is now gen
! orally known as the Opsonic index. 1t
! is ordinarily found that an individual
having low resisting power toward
| particular micro organism has a low OPP
sonic index The opsonic index deter
minaton in the hands of some workers
| is regarded as a valuable means of as
sisting diagnosis For example, IN an
incipient case of tuberculosis q per-
sistently low OpsOnic index against the
bacillus of tuberculosis would indicate
| that the individual was suffering from
tuberculosis.
Making Opsonins.
''The chief value of the opsonic index
determinations has been the control OF
| the process of immuniZation, or vaccna-
| tion.' Dr. Frost points out I'm opso-
mic therapy the vaccines are prepared by
taking the microbe causing the condition
to be treated and heating it in water
bath to q temperature sufficient high to
Just kill the microbe. The exact num-
I Der of microbes in this killed culture or
vaccine are then accurately determined,
| and certain number of dose varying
from a few thousand to some hundred
thousand, are injected. Following an in
lection of vaccine there is at first a
| temporary but varying amount of lower
ed resistance. The amount varies with
the size of the dose. This lowering of
the resisting powers of the blood IS
quickly followed by rise in the resist
ing powers, or in the amount of opsonins
| present.
Controls Vaccination.
''The great value of the determinations
| is in that it enables the physician to ti2
upon the proper dose of vaccine which is
| such an amount as will produce the least
lowered resistance compared with sat
isfactory increase in resistance. In many
cases it seems necessary, in order to Sc
| cure the best results to make q vaccine
| from the particular strain Of microbe pro
ducing the infection. Standard vaccineE
have less satisfactory effect.
THAT favorable results are obtained
by the use of these yaccines can hardly
be questioned. There is, however, con
siderable doubt in the minds of some
workers as to the accuracy of the pres
/ ent methods for determining the opsonit
index. In many cases and in many dis
eases the proper dose of vaccine has