ANTI-PNEUMOCOCCIC SERUM. 119 



While anti-gonococcic serum, as prepared by Torrey and Rogers' 

 method, has produced beneficial results in many conditions, 

 it is to be remembered that improvement and recovery have not 

 constantly followed its injection. Moreover injection of this 

 serum ought not to be the only method of treatment instituted. 



ANTI-PNEUMOCOCCIC SERUM. 



Man after an attack of pneumonia possesses a certain degree 

 of immunity. Immunity, however, does n^;t always follow pneu- 

 monia, nor is it lasting. Early in the history of the diplococcus of 

 pneumonia, attempts were made to artificially immunize animals, 

 with the result that it was found that a certain degree of immunity 

 can be produced. In as much as the pneumonococcus does not 

 produce an extracellular toxin, ant i -toxic immunity cannot be 

 produced in animals as a result of artificial immunization with this 

 organism. 



The anti-pneumococcic serum now used is usually taken from 

 horses that have received increasing injections of dead and later 

 of living cultures of recently isolated pneumococci. Most of the 

 sera are polyvalent, the best known being those made by Roemer 

 and by Pane. The method of action of anti-pneumococcic sera 

 is little understood. It is quite definitely established that it 

 possesses no anti-toxic value. The curative action of the serum 

 then, must depend on its ant i -bacterial power. Lysins, until 

 recent times, were supposed to 'account for the immunizing value 

 of the serum. Neufeld and Rimpau and Wright and others have 

 shown that anti-pneumoccic serum contains bacteriotropic or 

 opsonifying substances which prepare the cocci for ingestion by 

 the leucocytes. 



In the treatment of pneumonia with anti-pneumococcic serum 

 usually relatively large amounts of serum are injected. The 

 treatment as recommended by clinicians who have had most ex- 

 perience, is to inject 20 c. c. into the subcutaneous tissue twice 

 a day until the symptoms are relieved. None of the other known 

 methods of treatment are suspended during serum treatment. 



The results which have been attained by the use of the serum 

 have varied a great deal. Some observers have lauded the use 



