The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-03-30

PrOphylaxis and Anaphylaxis
 Most laymen know more or less definitely what prophylaxis and Iprophylactic mean. Pro means for, before, in behalf of and phyla means guard. Prophylaxis is pre- vention of disease; prophylactic being an agent, which prevents dis ease. I am giving our medical in- terprettion. Of course prophylaxis may apply to prevention of other things as well as disease. Then the dentors use the term in still more special sense, to signify a surface cleaning of the teeth.
 Anaphylaxis is not so familiar. It means the opposite, increased sus- ceptibility. Anaphylaxis is the op- posite of immunity. As physicians use this term it applies to the pe- culiar hypersensitiveness of sus- ceptibility to the effects of any for- eign protein substance introduced into the body by other route than normal digestion. And when this pe- culiar reaction occurs physicians assume that the specific foreign protein has been introduced into the body previously, by one route or another.
 The most familiar anaphylactic reaction is the distress which oc- CUTS in certain individuals the first time they receive dose of horse serum, or in some instances tine sec- ond time such serum is administer ed. The reaction may manifes: it- self as intense itching with ery- thema (reddening of the skim or hives, or as an asthmatic attack, or as a violent gastro-intestinal dis turbance with vomiting, pain or collie, diarrhea.
 As a precaution against such dis tress, when it is necessary to ad- minister serum, the physician may, if there is time, first test the patient by injecting only minute fraction of the dose and waiting for an hour. If no unpleasant re- action occurs within that time 1t is quite safe to administer the full dose, though annoying hives or sim- liar discomfort may occur few days after dose of serum n any case. If 8 patient has received horse serum at some previous time or if the patient is subject to asth- ma, horse serum should not be ad- ministered without preliminary de- sensitization of the patient. Bovine serum should be used in such cir cumstances.
 There is no instance on record where alarming or fatal anaphyiac- tic shock has followed the admin istration of antitoxin as Q remedy for diphtheria. Only where the serum is used for minimizing a healthy person who has been or may be exposed to the disease, is this danger to be guarded against. There is no justification for hesi- tating to give a person i'll of dipth- theria the full dose of antitoxin immediately, and if were the pa- tient should want all of the anti toxin in the first dose-Td rather receive 50,000 or more units at once than to fiddle along with 10000 or 10000 unit doses. I do not believe one can received too much antitoxin in any case; knew that if more is given than is neces- sary to neutralize or antidote all the diphtheria poison or toxin in the system, the superfluous anti toxin is absolutely harmless. If my condition were not too desperate I'd want the doctor to inject wee drop first, then play me a few haccs of red dog or a game of checkers for feeling comfortable I'd want him to an hour, and then if I were still shoot the remaining 79,975 units home and call it day.
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
 Have a Baby
 I wanted to ask you about hav- ing a baby. Would you advise it? My husband used to drink heavily before we married. He has never taken a drop since marriage. Would the poison be out of his system by now (2A years), or would child of his be likely to be defective? 0. J. L.).
 Answer-The poison" is out of the system within a week or two after the drinking is stopped. But the damage done by alcohol may be permanent. It would be better to take the question up with your fam fly physician who knows your hus- bands condition. My impulse is to believe you should go ahead and