The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-02-16
WHY have Pneumonia?

the easiest mark for pneumonia, es-
pecially during and after middle age.
A lowered resistance TO disease,
therefore, plus the diplococcus, must
exist before pneumonia can develop;
and whether or not the patient sur
wives will depend upon ancestry, con-
stitution, personal habits, good nurs-
ing, and, last but not least, prompt
and capable medical attendance The
writer is not aware of any specific
drug treatment for pneumonia. This
is not to say that drugs are useless;
but that no drug has thus far been
! discovered that will positively check
the development of the diplococci or
neutralize the effect of their toxins.
A number of drugs are of great value
in pneumonia, in supporting the cir
culation and maintaining the func-
tions of the body, thus enabling the pa
tient to fight his battle more success
| fully; but the diplococci must be con-
quered, if at all, by white blood cells
and certain complex elements gener-
ated in the blood, which weaken the
bacteria of disease and antagonize tic
effect of bacterial poisons.
Hope of Victory.
A glimmer of hope that we shall
soon be able to meet the pneumococ
Gus on his own ground and vanquish
him is found in the result of recent
experiments with bacterial vaccines.
These vaccines are of two classes, the
stock vaccines, prepared from dead
bacteria, procured from some indi-
vidual other than the patient, and au-
| togenous vaccines, prepared from bac-
terra found in the patients own sput-
UNI. These vaccines contain from
twenty million to a hundred million
killed bacteria to the cubic centime-
ter of normal salt solution. BY the re-
peated injection of these doses of
dead bacteria, the patients body is
stimulated to produce those complex
elements which either dissolve the liv
ing bacteria in the blood and tissues
or render them more vulnerable tC
the attack OF white blood cells and
other substances that neutralize the
toxins produced by pneumococci
These entities are termed "antibod
ies," and individually have charming
names, such as "antitoxins," "precip
itins," "opsonins," "agglutinins," IAN
, tiendotoxins, 'bacteriolysins,' etc
Many stock vaccines are now OF
r the market; but We are reluctantly
z compelled to state that a number O
r careful experiments have demonstrat
ed that such preparations are prac
? tically inert and without therapeutic
, value Much more encouraging re
; suits, however, are reported from tn,
, use of autogenous vaccines, not only
in pneumonia, but in other infectious
. maladies. Even Crops" of boils have
, been known to yield to this line o
treatment.
| At present, these remedies can be
5 satisfactorily and intelligently EN-
) ployed only by those who have ha;
= special training in such methods q
! treatment. There are also in the
market a number of antipneumococ
cic serums, prepared after the man
ner Of diphtheria antitoxin. There is
no present evidence that such RENE
dies are of value in pneumonia, n
' though in other diseases, notably ty.
=. phoid fever, preventive inoculatioI
2 with such serums is of great value. Al
l such remedies, even autogenous vac,
> cines, must be used In the early stag
: es of the disease; otherwise they MAY
: prove injurious rather than curative
: When the system is overwhelmed
f with pneumonia poison, vaccines o.
; serums will only add fuel to the fire
Fresh air comes as near to being {
| specific treatment as any remedy ye
employed. 1t has been claimed that
, pneumonia patient cannot catch cold
This is hard on the nurses who attenL
| such cases, as they are likely TO
catch cold if they do not take proper
, precautions.
1 After all, the best treatment fol
pneumonia is to avoid Catching" it
= if this bull may be permitted
Excluding from consideration feebl,
infants or extremely old or broker
= down individuals, in whom pneumou
ia constitutes a terminal affection
E or the accidental occasion of a deatt
z that was bound to occur in short OF
/ der from some cause, We may regarl
pneumonia as an unnecessary and pre-
} yentable disease. In almost every in
= stance an attack Of pneumonia may be
T traced to some indiscretion or eX.
) posure that could have been avoided
+ or mitigated, or it's influence checked