70 APPLIED IMMUNOLOGY 



ble results, which, however, have not been confirmed 

 by others. The irrational basis for this treatment 

 and the dangerous nature of the poison are such as to 

 make its use unjustifiable. Among others, Yawger 

 (Penna. Med. Jour,, Sept., 1914, p. 964) , after a trial 

 of crotalin in six cases of idiopathic epilepsy, gives the 

 results of his experience as follows : " Two patients 

 were uninfluenced; two were worse during the treat- 

 ment; one, early in the course, developed such in- 

 tolerant toxic symptoms that further experimentation 

 was im justified, and the last patient died two and a 

 half months after treatment. While we did not feel 

 that death resulted from the use of crotalin, the pa- 

 tient's disease certainly was not benefited by the 

 treatment." 



Phylacogens. — Within the last year or two con- 

 siderable exploitation has been given to certain bac- 

 terial products for the treatment of infections of all 

 kinds, under the name of phylacogens. It is claimed 

 by the manufacturers that these " modified bacterial 

 derivatives '* are superior to bacterial vaccines as ordi- 

 narily prepared. Phylacogens are sterile aqueous 

 solutions of bacterial derivatives prepared by growing 

 the bacteria in artificial culture media, killing them by 

 heat, and then removing their soluble products by 

 filtration. In preparing special phylacogens for the 



