SEROTHERAPY 



GENERAL INTRODUCTION 



By Serotherapy is meant the injection of a serum or other like substance 

 into the tissues of an individual for immunization or diagnostic purposes. 

 This immunity is called Active if the material inoculated induces the 

 tissues to form the immune bodies, and is called Passive when the immune 

 bodies themselves (obtained from an immunized animal) are injected. 



NATURAL AND ACQUIRED IMMUNITY 



Immunity is the exemption to infection exhibited by an individual 

 or species and is generally relative. 



It is well known that many animals are not susceptible to numerous 

 diseases which attack man. No one has ever succeeded in infecting 

 the lower animals with scarlet fever, nor man with chicken cholera. 

 Even among men, there is considerable variance of susceptibility toward 

 certain diseases. For instance, the negro is less susceptible to yellow fever 

 than the white man. These examples indicate that therd Is a resistance 

 normally existing in the body and not brought about by having a disease. 

 This phenomenon exhibited is termed "natural immunity.'' 



Practically all intelligent people are aware that an ttttack of certain 

 infectious diseases renders the patient relatively immune to future attacks 

 of the same disease; also, that the injection of certain Serums confers 

 upon a person a relative, specific immunity. These, taken together, 

 comprise "acquired immunity." Serotherapy, of course, deals entirely 

 with acquired immunity. 



BRIEF HISTORY OF SEROTHERAPY 



The Chinese were the first people known to use serotherapeutic 

 inoculation. Several centuries before serum therapy was practised in 

 Europe the Chinese immunized themselves to small-pox by the very 

 simple expedient of snuffing scales obtained from small-pox sores up 

 their nose. This produced a less severe type of the disease (Variola 

 inoculata) than that brought about by accidental infection. Small-pox 

 was so prevalent during those ancient times that comparatively few persons 

 escaped contracting the disease at some stage of their life. Thus, it came 

 about that many of the people chose a convenient time from their 

 business or other duties and inoculated themselves with the virus. 



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