,84 TOXIN AND ANTITOXIN 



The treatment of diphtheria must by no means be limited to serum 

 therapy. A symptom of grave prognosis is the lowered blood pressure 

 which must be counteracted by infusions of 1/2 liter of physiological salt 

 solution containing five to six drops of adrenalin. 



The question whether the use of concentrated antitoxin is therapeutic- 

 ally more efficient than the non-concentrated is still a matter for discus- 

 sion. Numerous authors claim that sera of medium strengths (about 

 400 I. E.) are most efficient. The highly concentrated sera are much 

 more expensive. 



For prophylactic purposes 500 to 1000 units injected subcutaneously 

 usually suffice. Protection thus attained lasts about three weeks. 



