The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-10-31
The Use of Serums And
Vaccines In Influenza
Leading Medical Journal ill The
United States Says Value OF Vac
zines Has Not Been Determined.

nave Dcen approached So lIdH!
times. both in my capacity as acting
Health Officer CT Dorchester county,
and III nay private practice, and asked
why | have not recommended the use
of serums and yaccines for the cure
and prevention Of influenza, that /
/ have determined to publish the fol-
of the American Medical Asso-
citation, the official organ of the
vast majority Of the leading physici
ans of the country. This article eX-
plains my position in language better
than l can command. | have no de
sire or purpose to criticize those who
have used these serums and yaccines,
nor those who have recommended
their use, but think it proper that
the public should know the opinion
of the leading journal and the lead
ing physicians OF the country in re-
gard to their use
GUY STEELE,
Acting Health officer of Dor. Co.
The editorial follows:
With respect to serums and vac
cineS in influenza, there are certain
simple facts ana considerations that
physicians will do we'll TO keep in
mind at this time The main point
to keep always in sight is that unfor-
tunately we as yet have no specific
serum or other specific means for
vaccine or vaccines for its proven
ton. Such is the fact, all claims and
propaganda statements in the news
papers and elsewhere to the contrary
Notwithstanding This being the
case, efforts at treatment and preyen-
ton by serums and vaccines. now hur
riedly undertaken, are simply expert
ments in a new field, and the true
value of the results cannot be predic-
ted by any one. Indeed, the exact
results can be determined if at all
only after time, in most cases prob
ably not until the epidemic is past
and all the returns fully Canyassed.
Consequently the physician must
keep his head level and not allow him
self TO be led into making more prom
Uses than the facts warrant This
warning applies especially to health
officers in their public relations.
As to serum treatment, the only
notew orthy new method so far is the
injection in severe cases of influential
pneumonia of the serum of patients
who have recovered from such pneu-
monia. The principle of this method
is rational; analogous procedures
have given seemingly good results in
scarlet fever and other diseases; and
the results reported in influenza
pneumonia appear promising. Fur
Their trial of this treatment under
proper conditions consequently seems
to be warranted. 1t should be borne
i'll mind, however, that Mcclure and
Redden made their observations in
the declining phase of the epidemic
when the organism or organisms con-
cerned appeared to be losing viru-
lence. For this and other reasons the
expectations as to what may be ac-
complished by this method must be
kept within reasonable bounds. In
| f1uenza is a self-limited disease with
variable complications and of vari-
able severity in different places. thus
offering great difficulties in the way
of evaluation of different methods
of treatment.
At least two kinds of vaccine are
in use in the hope that they may have
preventive effects. One consists sole
ly of killed influenza bacilli, and it
is being extensively used in the East
We have as yet no decisive figures as
| to its effects, but there is an impress
sion that it may have some value.
The other vaccine is a mixed vaccine
of the more important bacteria in the
respiratory tract in influenza, princ1-
paccy pneumococci, streptococci and
| IHHueuZd Ddcllll. II appears lndl vac
cines of this nature are in extensive
use, but we have no evidence that
any benefit will be derived from
them. To say that thousands have
been vaccinated with apparently good
results means nothing at all simply
because We are still in the midst of
the outbreak, i'll many places even
in the earlier stages. How slender
the basis for this anti-inf1uenZal vac
Icination when it is considered that
/, the real nature of influenza is still
unknown! In any event, it will re
lquire many carefully elaborated and
controlled observations before any
thing definite may be learned in re-
| gard to the effect of these vaccines,
and it is probably safe to say that
nothing on which to rely in the flu
lture can be learned from the indis-
terminate vaccination now going on.
There is, therefore, no basis on
of the American Medical Associa-
lvaccines may be made. They may be
harmless, and they may or may not
be of preventive value.-The Journal
which promise of protection from
ltion