ATJTOSERUM THERAPY 775 



AUTOSERUM THERAPY 



A number of observers have reported favorable results following the 

 administration of the patient's own serum in the treatment of various 

 diseases. In most instances serum is secured by withdrawing blood into 

 a sterile container, and defibrinating it with glass beads; this is followed 

 by thorough centrifugalization, or the serum is secured after the blood 

 has been allowed to coagulate spontaneously. In other instances the 

 serum has been obtained from blisters purposely produced by the appli- 

 cation of cantharides; in still others, and especially in tuberculosis of 

 serous membranes, good results have been observed to follow subcu- 

 taneous injections of small amounts of the patient's pleural or peritoneal 

 fluid. 



AUTOSERUM IN THE TREATMENT OF SKIN DISEASES 



Sprethoff, 1 Strumpke, 2 Gottheil and Latenstein, 3 and other ob- 

 servers have secured favorable results from this form of serum therapy 

 in the treatment of obstinate and chronic dermatoses, due to general, 

 rather than to local, causes, in which the usual therapeutic measures 

 are ineffectual or only partially successful, as, for example, psoriasis, 

 dermatitis herpetiformis, pemphigus, lichen ruber, lichen planus, urticaria, 

 squamous eczema, etc. Blood is withdrawn from the patient in amounts 

 of from 50 to 100 c.c. While still fresh, the serum is separated and in- 

 jected intravenously in doses of from 30 to 40 c.c. These treatments are 

 repeated from two to six times at intervals of from three to five days. 



AUTOSERUM IN THE TREATMENT OF ACUTE INFECTIOUS DISEASES 

 Favorable results have also been reported in the treatment of acute 

 infections, as, for example, scarlet fever with the serum of convalescent 

 scarlet-fever patients. Thus Reiss and Jungmann, 4 and later Reiss, 5 

 have observed a marked amelioration in the general symptoms of severe 

 cases of scarlet fever following the intravenous injection of from 50 to 

 100 c.c. of serum removed from two or more third to fourth week con- 

 valescents. These observers use this form of therapy in severe cases on 

 or before the fourth day of the disease. After blood is withdrawn from 

 convalescents the serums are separated, tested by the Wassermann re- 

 action, mixed, cultured to determine their sterility, put up in amounts of 



1 Med. Klin., 1913, ix, No. 24. 2 Deut. med. Wochenschr., 1913, xxxix, No. 30. 



3 Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1914, Ixiii, 1190. 



4 Deut. Archiv f. klin. Med., 1912, cvi, Nos. 1, 2. 



5 Therap. Monatsschr., 1913, xxvii, No. 6. 



