WILLIAM H. PARK 937 



was well under way when he determined to undertake this prophylactic therapy. At 

 the time treatment was begun, about forty cases of mumps had broken out in the 

 institution within the past month, and new cases were developing almost daily. The 

 conditions surrounding an institution of this kind are peculiarly favorable for judging 

 the effect of prophylactic treatment of the various infectious diseases, as most of the 

 children are admitted during infancy, and we have complete knowledge of the in- 

 fectious diseases which they have contracted while under our care. 



Twenty children were given protective injections, but three were probably not 

 exposed. This leaves seventeen who had entered the institution before the age of 

 one year. Naturally, none was injected who had had mumps in the course of the 

 epidemic in the winter of 191 2-13 and who had acquired immunity in this way. The 

 ages of these children were from one and one-half to five and one-half years. Whole 

 blood was used and injected at once intramuscularly. The donors form three groups: 

 The first includes children, four in number, who were just recovering from mumps; 

 the second comprises ten children who had recovered from the disease about 

 ten days previously; the third is composed of six children who had had mumps 

 one or two years before. It should be added that the results of the treatment in the 

 last group cannot be considered convincing, in that three of the children treated (15, 

 16, and 17) must be left out of consideration, as they did not happen to come in con- 

 tact with active cases of the disease, and the other three (18, 19, and 20) had been in 

 the institution but six weeks, so that we did not possess first-hand knowledge as to 

 their susceptibility to mumps. As was to be expected from the experience of others, 

 there were no disagreeable manifestations following the injections — neither a rise of 

 temperature nor local reaction. The epidemic was so widespread that only three of 

 the children under treatment did not come into contact with the disease. There are 

 therefore seventeen who must be regarded as having been not only susceptible, but 

 also exposed to mumps. It is therefore striking to note that among these seventeen 

 none contracted the disease. That the injections were effective in bringing about this 

 result may be seen from a glance at Table I, which shows that in the wards where the 

 children were not protected by injection fully one-third, or even one-half, came down 

 with the disease. 



Our results hardly seem to require extended comment. We may add, however, 

 that by means of these injections we were able, in a large measure, to check the 

 epidemic. It would seem that preventive treatment of this kind could well be carried 

 out in institutions for children, and that this simple procedure might likewise be 

 resorted to in the home where one or more children are exposed to infection. Our 

 experience seems to indicate that the blood may, with advantage, be obtained from 

 the donor even before the parotid swelling has disappeared, and that it possesses pro- 

 tective principles at this early stage. As is well known, the incubation period of 

 mumps is long, about eighteen days, so that it is possible to resort to protective in- 

 jection some days following exposure. It is impossible to state the duration of im- 

 munity acquired in this way; but it seems reasonable to believe that it well outlasts 

 the usual danger period of infection, 



Joseph C. Regan' reports a successful use of the serum. Six groups of children 



' Regan, J. C: /. A. M. A., 84, 279. 1925. 



