Evening star., 1937-10-28
J. s. BLOOD SERUM
BANK |SFOUNDED
System Comparable to Fed
eraI Reserve May Crush
EpidemicS.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,

reserve SeU-up III Uduhihs III" 10
being established, it was learned In
connection with meetings of the
American College of Surgeons here.
In these repositories are prepared
and stored serums made from the
blood of convalescent patients OF
measles, whooping cough, scarlet
fever, infantile paralysis and a wide
variety of epidemic diseases. Weekly
statements" of its deposits are sent
out by each serum bank so that one
city can draw upon another in cases
of epidemics.
The first of these was established
at the Michael Reese Hospital in Chi
cago and this has served as model
for the others. Others now are in
operation in Des Moines, Detroit,
Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Milwaukee,
Minneapolis, New York and San Fran
cisco. Prepared under rigidly stand
ardized and sterile conditions, potent
blood serum can be kept potent in the
ice box deposit vaults Of the banks"
for as much as nine months. the
movement is expected to spread rap
idly to other cities. The banks are
amalgamated into an Association of
Serum Centers.
improvements i'm Treatment.
At the same time, it was learned,
far-reaching improvements now are
under way in convalescent serum
treatment. At one Chicago hospital
work was reported showing that what
almost amounts TO q specific for the
wide variety of ailments due to the
streptococcus form of bacteria is pro-
vided by the convalescent serum OF
patients recovering from scarlet fever
The streptococcus is one of mans
greatest natural enemies. 1t not only
is responsible for scarlet fever, put
also for such maladies as streptococ-
cic sore throat, infections OF the MID
die ear, which cause an enormous
amount of permanent deafness; strep-
tococcic pneumonia and meningltis'
possible blood clots and frequently
fatal infections following operations
When it was found about three years
ago that German dye substance had
a highly specific effect on the strepto-
cocci in the blood the discovery was
hailed as one of the greatest medical
advances of the decade This, in a
more potent form, is the now cele-
prated sulphanalamide, which has
saved thousands of lives. but which 1t
has been demonstrated in the last few
weeks, is a virulent poison if careless
ly administered and which always has
some poisonous effect.
The new serum devised at the Chi
cago Serum Center apparently does
everything tlat sulphanalamide can
do with respect to streptococci. with
no poisonous effects and with very
little chance of any bad results. The
absolute requirement is pooled sup
ply of the blood serum of scarlet fever
convalescents. A pint or more of
blood is taken from a person well on
the road to convalescence from scarlet
fever. When the serum has been
taken from this blood and tested for
freedom from any infective agents It
is pooled with the blood serum OF
scores of other persons in a similar
state of recovery. From then on it IS
available to anybody whose system has
been invaded by the dreaded 'strep.
Large Quantities Injected.
Since it is made of human blood
there is no possibility of the bad serum
reactions which sometimes follow the
administration of serum made from
the blood of horses and other animals.
1t can be injected into the veins in
large amounts in proportion to the
seriousness of the infection with no
possibility OF an allergic effect or OF
forming a blood clot.
There is no need of typing blood, it
was explained, since persons of all
blood types are represented in the
pooled supply and the different types
neutralize each other. So far as pos
sible an equal number of males ano
females are represented to neutralize
the infinitesimally small amouns o.
hormones that might be present in the
serum of one sex.
The effects often are dramatic
Streptococcic infections are character.
lied by sharp rises of temperature
Sometimes single injection bring'
the temperature down to normal ane
keeps it there. In other cases the re-
covery is more gradual. Very few caSe'
have resulted in actual failure Scar.
let fever is the most prevalent of al
streptococcic diseases. 1t would bt
impossible to keep constant supply o.
serum from other maladies caused BY
this bacterium because there is no reg.
ularity in their appearance-they otter
occur and reach a climax suddenly
and cases are widely separated.
AS in cases of other infections, ap-
parently the body tissues secrete intt
the blood something, as yet unknown
which attacks the invading organisms
AS the patient gets we'll the amount o.
potency of this material gradual!
diminishes, although enough may re-
main to protect the individual through
out life. 1t is known that the sub
stance is contained in the globulir
molecule of the blood and various ef
forts have been made to get it out b.
chemical methods, without success.
Possible to Use Both.
This molecule, it was explained to-
day, may be something like a dog
tail attached to the motile globulil
molecule which distributes it through
out the blood stream and if it could b.
obtained in pure form it might prov,
to be inert. Efforts to find somethini
corresponding to the sulphanalamid
radical in the globulin have failed
The possibility in severe cases of usini
both the scarlet fever serum and sui
phanalamide now is being considered
When sulphanalamide was used will
| pneumonia serum in experiments a
the National Laboratory of Health il
Washington 'synergistic action" wa
found. the effect of the two togethe
being greater than the added effect 0
both when used alone.
This human convalescent serum, /
was pointed out, is one medicine will
| which the physician hardly can max