JOINT ILL 89 



is no proof that the beneficial effects noticed in 

 treatment by serum were afforded by the specific 

 antibodies present in the serum. I contend that 

 normal serum would be quite as beneficial. In 

 human medicine antidiphtheritic serum has been used 

 in streptococci infections in many instances with 

 better results than from the use of antistreptococci 

 serum. In this case the benefit observed cannot be 

 referred to any specific antibodies for the streptococci 

 present in the diphtheritic serum. How, then, does 

 this serum, in which specific antibodies are absent, 

 exert its curative effect ? This matter is fully dis- 

 cussed in the chapter on immunity. I believe it is 

 the free complement present in the fresh serum 

 which combines with the antibodies already present 

 in the animal's system, thereby causing the activation 

 of the latter, that exerts this curative action. 



Vaccines in Curative Treatment. — Except in chronic 

 cases, this method would appear to be useless, if not 

 positively harmful ; good results, however, should be 

 hoped for from the use of a polyvalent and, if possible, 

 autogenous vaccine in treating chronic cases of this 

 disease. Personally, I would recommend the method 

 described on p. 85, not only in this disease, but in all 

 diseases of a pyosepticemic and septicemic nature. 



Purpura Hemorrhagica (Petechial Fever). — Pur- 

 pura hemorrhagica represents an acute non-infectious 

 disease or process, probably caused by septic bacterial 

 intoxication, possibly the same as, or similar to, the 



