THE NEW YORK JOURNAL OF PHARMACY 



17 



tococcus vaccine) in erysipelas, em- 

 phasizing- the fact that when the treat- 

 ment did no good it did not do the 

 slightest harm; that prophylactically 

 in the face of epidemics it should have 

 a great future ; that in hospitals the 

 resistance of the patients may be 

 raised to bacillus coli, streptococcus 

 pyogenes, or the pneumococcus be- 

 fore operations on the alimentary tract 

 or other infected area ; for preventing 

 secondary infections and possibly in 

 cases of difficult labor. He says that 

 in cases already infected, the evidence 

 shows that in a proportion of instances 

 it is possible by this method to pro- 

 mote materially the patient's recovery. 

 "By administering a sensitized vac- 

 cine to these patients, we appear to 

 bring into action available reserves in 

 that complex and still incompletely 

 defined entity, the patient's specific 

 resistance." 



As to the dosage, Gordon, in erysip- 

 elas, gave as the first dose 500 million ; 

 24 hours later the second dose was 

 1,000 million; the third, in 24 hours, 

 was 2,000 million. 



B rough ton-Alcock found that in 

 acute and chronic gonorrheal urethri- 

 tis the injections were of little value, 

 but that good results were almost in- 

 variable in gonorrheal orchitis, epi- 

 didymitis, arthritis and periarthritis, 

 tenosynovitis, acne, furunculosis. im- 

 petigo, seborrheic eczema. 



Boinet found that the goods results 

 in typhoid fever were in accordance 

 with its use nearer the beginning of 

 the infection, diminishing the gravitv 

 and shortening the duration of the 

 disease. 



Tn gonorrhea Cruveilhier found that 

 in all cases the duration of the disease 



was sensi])ly modified; in acute gon- 

 orrheal rheumatism he reports a num- 

 ber of cures. In chronic gonorrheal 

 rheumatism, and metritis favorable 

 results are reported. 



Speaking generally, serobacterins 

 give active immunity within 24 hours 

 after the first injection, with marked 

 improvement in the patient's condi- 

 tion. They produce no opsonic or 

 clinical negative phase — and, there- 

 fore, will do away with this cause of 

 solicitude on the part of physicians 

 using the ordinary bacterial vaccines 

 m the past. 



To insure that the serobacterin is 

 properly sensitized careful comple- 

 ment fixation tests are carried out to 

 ascertain the extent of antibody ab- 

 sorption by the bacteria. As a fur- 

 ther safeguard guinea-pigs are inject- 

 ed and the action of the serobacterin 

 is followed by means of a series of 

 tests made with the blood serum of 

 the treated animal. 



Great care is advisable in the selec- 

 tion of a sensitized vaccine, or sero- 

 bacterin — the product only of that 

 manufacturer should be chosen of the 

 highest professional character. 



A complete review of the Literature 

 on Serobacterins appears in the Mul- 

 ford Digest for December, and we 

 suggest that those who have not re- 

 ceived a copy of this issue request 

 one, to be read and kept on file for 

 future reference. 



