New-York tribune., 1907-07-14
HAS RABIC ANTITOXIN.
CURE IN SECOND STAGE.
Pastem Institute Receiues Word
from Paris of DiscOJery.

A new antitoxin. which. according the off,
cals of the Pasteur Institute Of this city will
be known as the "rabic anttoxn." has Just
been perfected 1t is said 1t viii cure hydro
phobia In its first and second stages. The new
serum was discovered by the surgeons of the
Pasteur Institute. in Paris. after many years of
experimenting.
Because OF ,he nevvness of the discovery the
serum has not yet been used in this country.
but large quantity Of 1t is on the way from
Paris for the Pasteur Institute in West I'D
street. DIR. George G. Ramhaud president of the
Pasteur Institute, sailed for Paris a week ago,
when ne told of the discovery. He Went 10
become familiar with the of the new prep
aration.
According To DR.. Wheeler who is acting di
rector during Or. Ramhaud's absence. the serum
will be administered by the same method as the
tetanus or dphtheria antitoxins. which are in
tecJed hypodeUmicaIly.
1t is a wonderful discovery, said the ply
scian yesterday, and IL will take only one-half
the time to cure person in the first stages.
Heretofore II many days before could
safely pronounce a patient entirely well.
For many years medical men have been try
ing 10 solve the problem of obtaining a direct
cure for hydrophobia. Several attempts have
been made Surgeons have experimental on
animals. such the calf and rabbit. 10 get the
serum. but with no success. This serum
not very successful. bur further experiments
soon proved that the right kind of antitoxin
could he obtained from this animal.
From what I have learned Of the experiment
by the professors at the Institute I'm Paris. they
first inocuatcd a sheep with anti-rabiC virus.
When the animal is thoroughly affected with
the virus the blood is taken from It. Through
chemical process the serum is then made"
At the Health Department yesterday Or. -.
c. Poor. director of the research laboratory.
said ba ha heard Of discovery and
surprised to hear that none y the medical
journals had commented on II. This was easily
explained by Dr. Wheeler, who said that il has
not Vet been given out officially To- the medical
fraternity. Or. Poor said he had been told that
the antitoxin had been used on several per
sons i'm Paris suffering from the first and second
stages OF the disease. and the treatment had
proved successful The Health Department had
communicated with the officials of the Paris in
stitute. he said.
DR. Wheeler said that tho new remedy was the
fourth serum which is used for four distinct
dangerous diseases. The other three which are
also practically new. the tctanus. strepto-
CoCus and diphtheria serums.
We with this serum cure ca ses in
the second stage of the disease" said the physi-
clan. Heretofore it has never been known that
a persons life had been saved after the disease
had developed In its second stage.
we have been very successful in our treat
ment Of patients. or course. they were all in
the first stages of rabies. In the year 1905
treated over Tour huntEed aud hfty patients.
while one thousand of them came here for CON
sUltation. This year. far. have treated
over one hundred and sixty-three cases and
had more than four hundred and fifty Consulta-
tions. These include local and out-of town
patients. We had patient who came nearly
three thousand miles To be treated al our In
stitute He came from the Republic of Colombia
and was attache of the Belgian Legation.
"A month ago We had three who came from the
British West Indies In all. the treatments of
last year and up 10 to-day we have not had a
single death. We have also examined the brains
of nearly thousand dogs since January l. 1906
I'VE will the anttoXin just
as it arrives and hope will accomplish good
work by IT,"
William Cooper Proctor, president of the Proc
ter &, Gamble Soap Company, two months ago
came to this city special train from Cincin-
natl to he treated for rabies He had been Bit
ten by one of his own dogs. which became mad.
His physician had sent the dogs brain and let
ter to the institute; but according to the insti-
tute people the Health Department got hold of
Mr. Proctor and he received the treatment there.
Much discussion arose over the affair.
At the Health Department ii was said that II
had treated about three hundred and forty cases
during 1906 and that the mortality was about
three-tenths of | per cent DR.. Poor said that
there would probably be more cases treated TINS
year than last