THE NONSPECIFIC AGENTS 19 



practice but where the conditions are favorable the subcutaneous and 

 intravenous use is preferred. It is said to relieve pain and induce a 

 pronounced euphoria. 



The dosage, as may be expected, is not a fixed one. The serums are 

 in this case given not for their antitoxic property but for their nonspe- 

 cific stimulating effect. A very small dose in a sensitive patient may be 

 sufficient to induce a severe reaction ; usually however the dose may be 

 fairly large after a careful determination has been made as to the de- 

 gree of sensitization of the patient. The agents of this type have the 

 advantage that they can be obtained in sterile containers ready for 

 administration. They do not as a rule give any striking therapeutic 

 results such as one may observe from the more toxic agents but offer 

 a relatively safe means of experimentation until the physician be- 

 comes more or less familiar with therapy of this type. 



Deutschmann Serum. The general increase in resistance to in- 

 fection that is observed after the use of yeast led Deutschmann in 

 1907 to try out a novel method of this principle. He immunized horses 

 with yeasts for a considerable period of time and then used the serum 

 in a number of diseases. He was interested chiefly in eye diseases, 

 but the serum was tried out in a variety of acute infections as well. 

 He had observed that his yeast-immunized animals all became more 

 resistant to general infection, and believed that this change in re- 

 sistance was due to a serum alteration. 



The serum was injected into patients both subcutaneously and in- 

 travenously, but in relatively small dosage, from 2 to 4 c.c. In his 

 series of cases there were 24 pneumonias treated with the serum, of 

 whom three died. In four of the cases a crisis was observed immedi- 

 ately after the injection. In all of the cases the euphoria following 

 the injection was well marked. The serum has been used in general 

 sepsis, erysipelas, various inflammatory conditions, furunculosis, 

 otitis media, impetigo, eczema, and with seemingly good results in eye 

 conditions traumatic inflammation hypopyon keratitis, iridocy- 

 clitis, iritis, etc. (Bockhoff.) 



In lupus vulgaris a marked local inflammatory reaction was 

 observed as with all other similar nonspecific agents. 



Tuberculosis Serum. The commonly used preparations of Mara- 

 gliano and of Marmorek cause reactions in tuberculous patients that 

 have been ascribed to various immunological alterations but are very 

 probably due to their action as nonspecific proteins. The temperature 

 is increased after injection, focal reactions take place, there is an 

 increase in the amount of sputum, etc. Just as with other nonspe- 

 cific agents used in the treatment of tuberculosis, incipient cases are 

 frequently benefited, advanced cases on the other hand are unfavorably 

 influenced. 



Related Agents. Plasma Serum has been used particularly by 

 French observers. Grigant and Montier have used the method in the 



