Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-10-19
STATE BOARD OF HEALTH EN-
,LARcEs WORK OF DIsTR,euT.
ING VACCINE.
COST GREATLY REDUCED
TO VICTIMS OF DISEASE
Tetsnus Anti.Toxin Added to List Of
Serum. Handled by Board and Dis.
trihuted at co.t-Europesn War
Causing Drain on Products Of United
: States and Shortage Results.

iowa STATE COaTu OIL HedllH u udHulS
tanti- toxins and vaccines thru dis
tributing stations all over the state,
thereby reducing the cost of these
marvellous disease ,repellants so to Is
per cent is Being enlarged. At first the
| board handled only diphtheria anti
! toxin. Then typhoid vaccine was added
/, and now tetanus anti-toxin has been
! added to the list.
| The legislature few years ago
made an annual Appropriation OF
$4,000 to be used under the direction
Of the state board of health In buying
! diphthera anti-toXin and selling 1t
! thru distributing stations in every
county in the state to the physicians
/ at actual cost. This has meant big
saving to the people. Its success in
! handling diIhtheria anti-tOXin led the
board also to take on typhoid vaccine
and lated tetanus anti toxin.
! At this season of the year the board
has more orders for diphtheria anti
toxin than any other. After the schools
open in the fall more or less diphthera
j is in evidence. When the local physi-
sian or public health officer learns of
the symptoms of diphtheria he goes to
the board Of health distributing station
in that community, usually local drug
store, and an order is sent in to the
state board of health for the anti
toxin. The distributing station may
I have a supply on hand but usually not
much of supply is kept for it Is apt
to loose its strength after it is old. The
| anti toxin il; Immediately sent out
| from the board Of health Offices. This
plan is followed because the state
board is thus able to furnish this very
necessary disease repel1ant at an un-
usually low rate and make it availabl"
in all cases no matter whether the
patient is rich or poor.
Season Of Diphtheria.
/; Yesterday the state board of health
offices sent out siXty-three immun1zlnS
treatments for diphtheria and fifteen
curative trea tments. The curative
treatments are used on those who have
shown symptoms of diphtheria. The
| immunizing treatments are used on the
| children who have been exposed to the
disease, Yesterdays shipments will
cost the patients thru their physicians,
! $71.55 IN all whereas these seventy
| eight treatments at regular prices
would have cost $166.95.
| The state does this because it wishes
| to lend every possible aid to the peo-
! pie to secure these anti-toxins. Medi-
cal authorities declare that diphtheria
has now lost many of it's terrors since
the use of this anti-toxin has become
| general In many of the large hospi-
A tails of the country the death rate from
! diphtheria has been reduced since the
ldiphtheria anti-toxin came into use
from nearly 40 per cent to less than 10
per cent. In fact, it is declared that
| if anti-toxin is given as soon as the
| disease manifests itself the mortality
| is brought down to very insignificant
| figure.
Europe Draws on Serum Supplies.
!. The Iowa board yesterday received
word from the manufacturers that war
orders from Europe for tetanus anti
toxin were so very heavy that they
were now behind with their orders for
i this material and would not be able
! to fill orders $50 very promptly for
llarger packages, known as the 5000
Iltnit packages. This is used to eau
iterize WOUNDS and prevent blood pois-
loning9 or other infection. It has saved
/ amputa ton of limbs and even death in
| thousands Of cases. physicians says.
! Z. The typhoid vaccine is another Won
derful discovery of medical science
which IS now in common use. People
compelled tn work where they are LA
! BILE to contract typhoid fever are vac
cinated against this disease just as
they have always been against small
pox. Following the Eastland disaster
| in Chicago ali of the rescuers We're
vaccinated against typhoid. All SOL
diers are required to be vaccinated.
| A serum which will combat spinal
meningitis has been found to be sue
cessf,l, and 1t may be that the Iowa
board of health will put in small sup
ply of that for emergencies.
There is less typhoid in Iowa this
year than usual. The authorities say
it is less apt to be prevalent in wet
season than il: a dry one.