ANTI-TOXINS 75 



own anti-toxin. If an animal be injected intravenously with 

 anti-toxin and intracerebrally with toxin it will die of tetanus. 

 This explains why the use of anti-toxin in the treatment of the 

 diesase must be vigorous, early and direct. Dosages of 10-50,000 

 units are necessary before symptoms have become well estab- 

 lished. Subcutaneous methods are too slow and indirect. Anti- 

 toxin should be given into the spinal canal, into the vein and 

 around the wound. Prophylactically anti-serum should be given 

 in every case of penetrating, lacerated wound especially if soiled 

 with earth, street dirt, rust or gun waddings. Tetanus antitoxin 

 is more efficient as a prophylactic than as a remedy. 



Streptococcus Antiserum. The three principal groups of 

 streptococci, hemolytic, non-hemolytic and viridans, have differ- 

 ent immunity factors and each kind produces it own anti-bodies. 

 These however are never in great amount and this seems 

 due to the rather feeble antigenic power of the cocci them- 

 selves. The only useful anti-sera are those prepared against a 

 large number of strains of each of the varieties by repeated 

 injections over a long period. Their antigenic fractions seem to 

 be hemolytic, leucocytolytic and neurolytic. The anti-bodies 

 formed in horse's serum seem to decrease in value after removal 

 from the body. They are chiefly agglutinative and anti-toxic. 

 For clinical use the serum should be as fresh as possible and used 

 intravenously in doses of 50 to 200 c.c. It has been employed 

 in endocarditis, osteomyelitic and puerperal septicemia with some 

 promise. 



The Anti-pneumococcus serum is prepared in the same way. 

 Horses are immunized by the injection of first autolysates then 

 living cultures, and the horse's blood, after a period of treatment 

 by cultures, is drawn off, preserved with tri-cresol. It is used in 

 the crude form of serum as the anti-bacterial powers are not easily 

 concentrated. It is standardized so that .2 c.c. shall protect a 

 mouse against 100,000 times the amount of a culture of pneumo- 

 cocci that would kill a control mouse. It has been found that 





