The sun., 1917-07-12
SOME OF THE RESULTS OF ANTI
7E7ANUS MOCULA77ON.
Methods Of Injection Of Serum Compared
Those Of Older Use Of Drugs

commends these methods, which saved
more lives than the other devices,
which are not only moro dificult but
more dangerous, as they consist of
Injections into the veins and spine. The
results Of the simple injections under
the skin were clearly most favorable.
They showed death rate of SO per
cent, whereas the rate after injections
into the veins and spine was 50 per
cent and even 100 per cent. These
are methods, therefore. which Colonel
Leishman declares dangerous. Success
depends upon applying the serum as
soon as possible to the wound and its,
| neighborhood, for its power of con-
ferring immunity does not manifest
itself when the poison has got fixed TO
the nerve. Thus the toxins fatal habit
OF combining firmly with important
cells of the body, not to be called off
subsequently by antltoxin. was seen to
be O. ruling factor in practical problems
Of immunity. In the successful case
the antitoxin is administered as soonI
as the wound is treated. but Il can
also DO administered with excellent
effect after the disease has declared
itself, when 1t greatly alleviates its
vfrulence. reducing the length of aver
age attack and diminishing the sever
| ity Of the most painful symptom
Such, in q few words, Is the result o
Colonel Leishman's incubation agains
tetanus by means Of subcutaneous ia
lection. To the ordinary observer hi
statement Is clear and satisfactory.
The War Office committee, howeveiv
| e..
repeated observation they found thai
injection into the spine was the besi
method of bringing out the propertit
of the serum. 1t is agreed that thei
may be fallacy in the attempt
prove this by statistics. The dffficulN
Is how to exclude the element of
chance. 1t is always possible that it
is not the method of incubation but
the vitality of the patient that eicts
the cure. The supreme test would be
! to take a dozen men and treat six W itN
/ one method and six with another. u
this way there might be a true com
parison, but what chance is there OF
applying such test in human beings?
| In animals II is fortunately possible
to try the experiment by inoculatinE
q given number with the toxin and
then administering the antidote by tho
different methods.
| Professor c. s. Sherrington, at the
suggestion of the committee, took par
ticular pains to clear up that matter
and had some significant results. Bas-
ing his opinion upon these experiments,
he believes that the most valuable
method of obtaining the effects OF the
serum is the injection into the spine.
and next to that the injection into the
veins. How the antidote reaches the
poison in the system is not 80 easily
ascertained since the channels which
1t follows are extremely tortuous and
| fine. The principle seems. however,
to be accepted by most scientific men
at the present time.
The whole subject is concluded with
a review of the drugs usually employed
in treating tetanus. Colonel Leishman
says that magnesium sulphte and
carbolic acid have gone out of favor
There are certain remedies, like th'
bromides chloral and chloroform. thu
are still recommended by physicar
who have studied the new cases t.,
France with a thoroughness and in
sight that leave nothing to be desired