New-York tribune., 1908-12-17
ANTI-TYPHoID VACCINATION.

4 hoard of medical officers of the United
States Army convened q few days ago to con-
slider the wisdom of inOculating American sol
djers and hospital attendants for the preven-
ton of typhoid fever. reported favOrably on
the proposition. Careful inquiry regarding eX-
periments in other countries had satisfied the
members of this board that no harm would re
suit from the practice and that its adoption
might do some good. AS there has now been
an appreclable accumula ton of evidence to sup
port these opinions, and there is 20 be no
compuIsion it is to be hoped that the plan
will be tried
For at least twenty years bacteriologists have
been in search of a serum which would at
least operate as a safeguard against typhoid
fever, as vaccine lymph does against smallpox
Some of them-notably Chantemesse and
Vidal in France-beeyed that they had pro-
duced an extract which would do even more
A claim was put forward that their preparation
had a curative value. and that it might be used
10 advantage when the disease had actually
manifested itself, as is the case with Behring s
sntitoxin for dphtheria. The remedial virtue
of the French serum and of other serums pre-
pared in the same general manner has not been
demonstrated sufficiently to warrant much
faith The protective influence though long In
DISPUTE has been esta blished rather more
firmly. One of the anti-typhoid serums used in
Professor Wright and Major Leishmann, of
the Army Medical School at Netley, England.
Another was made by DR.. Alexander Mac
Faydean. also an Englshman. Doubts of the
efficacy of these preparations seem TO have
been excited by the fact that they were not in
faluble Some of the soldiers who had been
treated with one or the other were stricken with
the fever. and the fatal termination of a few
cases was recorded. Nevertheless, two medical
ported unanimously that susceptibility to the
disease was diminished and mortality was sen
siblv reduced by the use Of the serum. These
conclusions were sustained by statistics 4
much larger percentage of cases occurred
among the unvaccinated than among the vac
cinated
In other words, while the immunity insured
IS not absolute. it seems to be distinct enough
TO be worth seeking. The benefit is limited, but
real. Experience with serum therapy up TO date
shows that the system has achieved greater sue
cess with diphtheria than with other diseases
The antitoxin for lOckjaw, for instance. some
times fails to produce the effect expected. The
same is true IN regard TO vaccine lymph and
the duration Of the protection given by it is
curiousy uncertain. Yet few physicians would
hesitate to recommend prompt resort to vac
cination If epidemic of smallpox broke out
An anti-typhoid serum is more Of novelty than
vaccine lymph, and fits value is perhaps reIa-
lively smaller. Still, To disregard the possibil-
ity Of advantage from using it is scarcely Judi
cous.
There is more reason for giving the new agent
a trial IN the army than in civil life Owing TO
the conditions existing In camp, typhoid fever
is communicated from man to man there with
appalling facility. Out of every twenty deaths
among United States soldiers during the war
with Spain ten years ago seventeen have been
officially attributed TO typhoid fever The bullet
was far more merciful than disease The i'm
practcability of adopting in an army sud
denly enlarged to unusual proportions the
sanitary safeguards employed in private life