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Our Surroundings 



hold a bit of the dried sputum, by milk or other food that has 

 become infected, and by animals. It may also be spread among 

 children by exchange of pencils, gum, books, handkerchiefs or 

 playthings. Until within a few years the lives of many children 



DIPHTHERIA 



PNEUMONIA 



TUBERCULOSIS 



DISEASE BACTERIA 



were lost through diphtheria. Fortunately a remedy has been 

 discovered which robs the disease of some of its terrors. 



Prevention of Diphtheria. Better even than the cure of a 

 disease is its prevention. The taking of diphtheria is now actually 

 prevented by the use of a mixture called toxin-antitoxin which, 

 when introduced into the system, acts as a defense against the 

 disease by counteracting the effect of the toxins that cause it. 

 It has long been known that the cells of the body are able to 

 produce a certain amount of a substance that aids in overcoming 

 the toxins formed by the diphtheria germs. There is a battle 

 of the cells in which, if the body cells win, the patient will 

 recover. But on the other hand if the invading cells win, the 

 patient will die. Toxin-antitoxin when injected into the body, 

 seems to help the body cells in overcoming the poisons of the 

 enemy. 



The Schlck Test. The Schick test is extensively used to deter- 

 mine whether or not there is sufficient antitoxin in the blood of 



