﻿THE 
  BACTERIA 
  

  

  213 
  

  

  198. 
  Preparation 
  of 
  antitoxin. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  possible 
  

   to 
  secure 
  from 
  horses 
  and 
  mules 
  an 
  antitoxin 
  that 
  will 
  coun- 
  

   teract 
  diphtheria 
  toxins 
  in 
  the 
  human 
  body. 
  These 
  animals 
  

   are 
  naturally 
  immune 
  to 
  diphtheria, 
  but 
  by 
  injecting 
  into 
  their 
  

   bodies 
  toxins 
  produced 
  in 
  beef 
  broth 
  by 
  diphtheria 
  bacteria, 
  

   this 
  natural 
  immunity 
  is 
  greatly 
  increased. 
  First 
  into 
  the 
  ani- 
  

   mal's 
  body 
  there 
  is 
  injected 
  a 
  small 
  amount 
  of 
  toxin. 
  This 
  

   process 
  is 
  repeated, 
  with 
  an 
  increasing 
  amount, 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  

   a 
  week 
  or 
  a 
  little 
  less, 
  for 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  months. 
  

   The 
  animal 
  finally 
  withstands, 
  with 
  no 
  ill 
  consequences, 
  an 
  

   amount 
  of 
  toxin 
  that 
  would 
  have 
  proved 
  fatal 
  if 
  used 
  at 
  first. 
  

   At 
  this 
  time 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  blood 
  is 
  drawn 
  off 
  and 
  allowed 
  to 
  

   clot, 
  and 
  the 
  antitoxic 
  serum 
  is 
  sterilized. 
  This 
  antitoxic 
  

   serum 
  is 
  usually 
  concentrated, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  possible 
  to 
  

   inject 
  the 
  desired 
  strength 
  of 
  antitoxin 
  without 
  an 
  unneces- 
  

   sarily 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  liquid. 
  After 
  its 
  relative 
  strength 
  is 
  

   determined, 
  it 
  is 
  sealed 
  in 
  small 
  bottles 
  and 
  is 
  ready 
  for 
  dis- 
  

   tribution. 
  A 
  human 
  being 
  who 
  has 
  diphtheria 
  may 
  then 
  be 
  

   given 
  the 
  proper 
  amount 
  of 
  antitoxin. 
  If 
  it 
  is 
  properly 
  given, 
  

   and 
  given 
  early 
  enough, 
  the 
  attack 
  is 
  defeated. 
  1 
  

  

  AVERAGE 
  ANNUAL 
  DEATH 
  RATE 
  FROM 
  DIPHTHERIA 
  

   PER 
  10,000 
  POPULATION 
  2 
  

  

  1 
  A 
  few 
  inexcusable 
  cases 
  have 
  occurred 
  where 
  impure 
  antitoxin 
  was 
  used. 
  

  

  2 
  Jordan, 
  E. 
  0., 
  General 
  Bacteriology, 
  1911. 
  

  

  8 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  antitoxin 
  was 
  begun 
  in 
  1895-1896 
  ; 
  the 
  death 
  rate 
  dropped 
  

   from 
  12.01 
  in 
  1895 
  to 
  7.62 
  in 
  1896. 
  

  

  