Middletown transcript., 1918-10-26
A SURE CURE FOR THE 'sFLU"

suffering world hopes of mastering the
awful White Plague which proved fall
lacious, and number OF lesser names
since, both doctors and laymen may be
excused for being skeptical about alleged
cures for other plaques till their truth
mas been fully demonstrated.
This by way of preface to some won
derful good news concerning this deadly
epidemic of grip or as it Is also styled
the "hu"- a preventive serum has been
discovered and found to be reliable after
thousands Of tests
Some time ago vaccine, discovered
by Major A. Parker Kitchens, physi-
clan formerly connected with the Null
ford laboratories, had been partially
tested that would, it was said, immunize
the patient against 'colds" and like
throat. Recently, DR.. c. Y. White,
city bacteriologist of Philadelphia, and
DR.. John A. Ko!mer of the Polyclimic
Hospital, have perfected this Parker
vaccine, and made extensive though
not conclusive experiments Herewith.
The most they certainly claim for this
vaccine is that the patient if he gets
the grip or the flu will only have a
mild type without the serious pneumonia
complications
But DR.. Timothy w. Bowes, Medical
Director of the Philadelphia Electric
Company, and his corps of assis tants
have virtually kept the entire force of
that corporation free from the epidemic
grip or influenza.
Here is what the Evening Ledger
says about the matter:
''Three weeks ago, when the diseas e
first became threatening here, the COM
pany's physicians began their inocula-
tions, the Philadelphia Electric thus be-
ing the pioneer in the work IN this city.
Thirty-fve hundred employees of the
company submitted to incubation, and
of these not one contracted influenza.
This immunization was of particular
value in the case of the plant at Wood
side. Had work been held up there,
Government production would have
been handicapped.
Outside corporations askel the Phila-
delphia Electric Company for aid,
which was given, and Dr. Bowes and
his assistants inoculated 10000 persons
who had no connection with the electric
concern. No charge was made for
this service.
The heavy calls on the company's
medical department exhausted its sup
ply of Sherman serum, and on an ap-
peal by DR.. Bowes, Colonel James
Brown, president of the Philadelphia
Physicians Supply Company, sent a
girl messenger to Detriot for serum.
| The girl rushed to Detroit on one train
and caught the next one back" "
M,>t cin in OR00
men Certainly remarkable record
for DIR. Bowes 1t will be noted that
his treatment is a serum, not vaccine.
A vaccine is an incubation and pro-
tects the patient by giving him modl-
| fled and milder form of the very disease
it is desired to shield him from. A ia
miliar illustration is smallpox vaccina-
ton which gives the patient slight at
tack of cowpox, which either renders
him immune from smallpox or greatly
sOftens the attack if he contracts the
disease.
A serum acts upon different princl-
| pie. In the serum Of the blood, (that
IS, the liquid remaining after coagula-
tion), there is substance called
opsonin which has the property of rem
dering the various disease causing
germs which get into the blood more
! easily destroyed by the phagocytes. or
white corpuscles, which may be called
| the police Of the blood.
Diphtheritic serum is made by inocu-
lating young horse slightly with the
virus of that disease which sickens him.
His strong blood kills the deadly germs,
and in doing so becomes more powerful.
Then he is given bigger dose of diph-
| iberia and inasmuch as his blood serum
has developed more opsonins in COM
batting the first dose, it also kills the
stronger germs Of the bigger dose:
| This is kept up for several months until
| the blood of that horse has developed
such a power to fight those diphtheria
germs that he can be with impunity in
oculated with huge dose of diphtheria
which given him at first would have
been fatal. His blood serum has be-
come enormously filled with opsonins-
his opsonic index has risen the doctors
say.
A vein in his neck is tapped and sew
eral quarts of blood finally taken, from
which the marvelously effective diph-
theritic serum is obtained which in
jected into the blood of child about to
die Of that dread disease so increases
the opsonins of its blood that it success
fully fights off the disease and gets
we'll.
This "flu" serum is probably made
from many billions of dead flu germs,
which limited amount of poison stimu
late the opsonins of the patients blood
to combat the disease with success.
But had the patient been inoculated
with the living 'flu" germs they would
have multiplied into countless numbers,
and thereby secreted enough poison to
kill him.
Delaware Soldiers to Vote