SERUM THERAPY 127 



greatest advocate of Antistreptococcus Serum 

 has been Moser of Vienna. The serum em- 

 ployed by him is obtained from horses which 

 have been immunized against streptococci grown 

 directly from fatal cases of scarlet fever the 

 bacteria being secured post-mortem from the 

 heart's blood. 



Axenow reports (Jahrbuch fur Kinderheil- 

 kunde, 1915, xxxi, No. 2) the use of Moser 's 

 serum in 1,335 cases of scarlet fever, and extols 

 serotherapy in the severer cases as the only 

 means known to date which is able to ward off 

 the fatal outcome. It is best given not later 

 than the third or fourth day and the dose should 

 not be fractioned. The serum ought to be re- 

 served for the severer cases and for children 

 more than a year old. According to Axenow, 

 kidney complications are extremely rare in those 

 given serum treatment. 



Septicemia The enthusiastic reception of 

 serum therapy for the treatment of septicemia 

 was followed by a period of skepticism ; and the 

 medical profession still relegates the treatment 

 in general to the class which may be regarded 

 as promising, but not yet proven. However, as 

 time goes on, the number who employ serum 



