The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-04-15
HAS PNEUMONIA SERUM.
ROCkEFEl.LER INSTITUTE AN
NOUNCES GREAT DISCOVERY.


Another important step in medicine
OF especial interest to medical men
here appears TO have been achieved
by the discovery of a serum for iobar
pneumonia. 1t takes parallel rank
I'm importance with the discovery of
diphtheria anti-toxin and the vacuines
for typhoid fever and smallpox.
The discovery is unostentatiously
announced in the following bulletin is
sued by the Rockefeller Institute OF
New York city:
THE institute Is now prepared to
treat patients suffering from acute To-
bar pneumonia with specific anti
pneumococcus sera. The results 80
far obtained indicate that the proper
use Of this method is efficient in low
ering the mortality from this disease,
I'm order to make this method of
treatment effective it Is necessary that
In each case the type Of pneumococcus
causing the infection be determined
before treatment Is commenced. In
most cases 1t is now possible to do
this within few hours after the pa
tient comes under observation, but
the method is still complicated. More
over. the supply of serum Is limited,
and for this reason 1t Is considered
advisable that for the present the ef-
forts Of this institution be confined
to the treatment Of patients admitted
to the hospital.
1T Is desired, however, to make
the treatment available for as large
a number OF patients as possible dur
ing the present season, and our am
bulance will be sent promptly for any
patients suffering from this disease
whom you may desire to have ad-
mitted."
Should 1t turn out as the Rookie
feller scientists believe the victory
will mean the elimination of 80
years hght--since tho first definite
isolation OF the pneumococcus. or
pneumonia germ. The fight has been
waged ever since in every large med
icai institution Of standing in every
civilized country.
Fraenkel. Of Germany. and WEIGH
selbaum. Of Vienna, isolated the
pneumonia germ. They worked sepa-
rately In their Investigations. but so
identical were their results that the
discovery Of the germ 10 credited to
them Jointly. This establishing Of the
fact that pneumonia was caused by
a definite miscrcoccus was the first
great broach for the army OF scien-
lists. Later various sera were discov-
cred and put on the market.
But the seta have all proven more
or lesin efilcacious. In fact the re-
suits achieved by their use served
only to complicate the record of the
disease. its manifestations, preven-
tion and cure. There seemed no
general standard by which to gauge
the efficacy of the sera treatment.
This has been overcome by The dis
covery that the pneumococus was not
a single germ. but that 1t has at least
four distinct strainS.
The four strains isolated by the
Rockefeller scientists. who worked
under the supervision Of DIR. Rufus
Cole. medical director of the insti-
tute. show one mild strain, one severe
or dangerous strain and two others
whose virulency lies between the mild
and dangerous species.
1t is hoped by the research men that
the discovery Of these strains may
lead to the cutting down OF the deaths
from pneumonia. Sometimes the death
rate for pneumonia runs as high as
40 per cent Of the pneumonia suffer
ers and at other times the rate falls
off to 10 or 20 per cent. But there is
ever a widespread fear OF the dis
ease, for when not fatal it's aftermath
Is q weakened constitution and a
system particularly susceptible to a
recurrence of pneumonia.
Or the four strains. 1t Is under; nod
that the institute has not yet sue
ceeded In obtaining an effiaciOus serum