BACTERIOTHERAPY AND SERUM THERAPY 121 



and since it is possible to attain these effects without using 

 in the composition of drugs any toxic metals, the idea of 

 MacDonagh of replacing the arsenic of arsenobenzene by a 

 sulphate or iron salt deserves to be given serious consideration. 



BACTERIOTHERAPY AND SERUM THERAPY. 



As long as it is possible to produce antigens and antibodies 

 by synthesis, bacterio- and serum therapy will be the methods 

 of choice in the treatment of infectious diseases. In bacterio- 

 therapy the uncertainty in the dose is most often the cause 

 of partial failure or of severe accidents which have made 

 clinicians hesitate to adopt this method and to apply it to all 

 cases where practically possible. 



But experiments in anti-anaphylaxis and in skepto- and 

 tachyphylaxiis permit us at the present to make this method 

 more sure and efficacious. We may assume that, other 

 things being equal, specific or autogenous bacteriotherapy 

 will always give us the best and most constant results; but 

 it is necessary to find the best curative preparation; the best 

 method of its administration (whether by mouth, by rectum, 

 subcutaneously or intravenously) and finally the best dosage. 



Curative preparations may be either: 



1. A culture on a gelatin emulsion in saline or distilled 

 water killed by heat (58 to 100 C.) and as fresh as possible. 



2. The same cultures prepared in the same way but more 

 or less autolized. 



3. The same culture killed by antiseptics. 



4. A living culture of attenuated virulence. 



5. A living culture of attenuated virulence and then 

 sensitized. 



The best method of administering curative preparations is 

 always by intravenous injection. It will always give the 

 quickest results and will not aggravate the condition of the 

 patient. When the quantity of antigen is predetermined (by 

 determining the quantity of antibody in excess), vaccines 

 can be injected without danger. 



The least dangerous method is to give the vaccine by 

 mouth but it is evident that this method can be applied with 



