350 BACTERIOLOGY. 



like those of scarlet fever or measles, as well 

 as in bleeding, kidney inflammation and par- 

 alysis, and it is very doubtful whether the list 

 of possible injuries is yet exhausted, for per- 

 haps other mischievous effects may come to 

 light with other methods of use. Occasionally, 

 marked degeneration of heart, kidney and 

 liver is witnessed immediately after the injec- 

 tion of the diphtheria serum ; and this fact 

 shows clearly that in the use of this antitoxin 

 a danger exists of the same character as that 

 displayed in Buschke's experience with the te- 

 tanus serum. If the action of the serum were 

 simply antitoxic, danger of this kind ought 

 to be impossible. We have the paradox of an 

 antitoxin producing a toxic effect. According 

 to Emmerich, animals that have been treated 

 with diphtheria serum afterwards succumb 

 more easily to an, infection with Staphylococci 

 and Streptococci, a fact that points also to a 

 poisonous action of the antitoxin upon the tis- 

 sues. In man an acute outbreak of tubercu- 

 losis has been more than once observed to fol- 

 low a serum injection. In view of the assur- 

 ance with which Behring brings forward his 

 serum as something absolutely without pre- 

 cedent, terming it, by way of contrast to all 

 previously known remedies, an " absolutely 

 harmless remedy," it is important to show that 



