INFECTIOUS DISEASES 423 



are left in the throat is to send a specimen of the throat discharge to a 

 laboratory to see if the germs can be found. 



734. Diphtheria antitoxin. Antitoxin should be given 

 to every one who has diphtheria and to every person who 

 lives in a house where the disease is (p. 386). A small dose 

 of antitoxin will prevent the disease from developing in 

 any one who has just taken the germs into the body. If the 

 disease has already started, a larger dose will stop the 

 growth of the germs, but it will not overcome the damage 



A syringe full of antitoxin, as it is sent from the laboratory. 



that has already been done by the toxins. When it is used 

 early, it is an almost sure cure for the disease. Owing to 

 its extensive use, the number of deaths yearly from diph- 

 theria in New York State is less than half what it was 

 before the antitoxin was discovered. Nearly all of those 

 who now die either did not receive the antitoxin, or else 

 received it late in the disease. Its value is so great that 

 many states now furnish it free to those who are unable 

 to purchase it. 



735. Pneumonia. Disease germs growing in the lungs produce 

 the sickness called pneumonia (p. 401). Pneumonia is one of the most 

 frequent causes of death, and is always a serious disease from which 

 recovery is slow. Persons who have any kind of serious illness, such as 



