Janvary 11, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



49 



against the diphtlu'ritif poison, hut will 

 antagonize the eflects of the dii>hth(n-itie 

 poison after this has heen already intro- 

 duced into the system, in other words, it 

 may be employed as a curative agent in 

 cases of diphtheria. The immunity \\hioh 

 it produces is a temporary one only, lasting 

 from ten days to thn-i' weeks. Its curative 

 effect in cases of the disease depends, to a 

 considerable extent, upon its use in the early 

 stages before the system has been saturated 

 with the poison. 



We have not yt't suflicient data to speak 

 positively of the value of this anti-diph- 

 theritic serum as a means of treatment 

 of the disease as compared with certain 

 other methods of treatment, especially in 

 the early stages, but the evidence thus 

 far collected seems to indicate that such 

 serum obtained in the proper manner, and 

 used with proper precautions in the hands 

 of experts, is a valuable addition to our 

 means of combatting this terrible malady. 

 The serum can only be properly prepared 

 and tested by a skilled bacteriologist. It 

 must be sufficiently strong in its immuniz- 

 ing power, and at the same time must con- 

 tain no living pathogenetic germs of any 

 kind. It must also have been comparatively 

 recently obtained from the living animal, 

 for it gradually loses its specific anti-diph- 

 theritic powers. Special antiseptic precau- 

 tions are also necessary in injecting the 

 serum under the skin in the human sub- 

 ject to prevent the entrance of noxious 

 germs. 



One of the most useful points in applying 

 the anti-diphtheritic serum to practical use 

 is to have the cases diagnosed at the earliest 

 possible date, and this can only be done by 

 a skilled bacteriologist. In New York, 

 Boston, and some other cities, means arc 

 now provided by which practicing physicians 

 can have such diagnoses promptly madcj 

 and if the case of diphtheria can be seen by 

 a physician in its earlier stages, it is possible 



to treat it with great hope of success by 

 means of local a])i)lications to the throat 

 of certain substances which will quickly 

 destroy the bacillus, and prevent the further 

 production of its peculiar toxine ; for ex- 

 ample, a solution of tri-cresol of the strength 

 of one per cent, will usually effect this with- 

 out producing undue irritation or causing 

 any injury to the patient. Those who 

 advocate the use of the immunizing serum 

 say little about the local treatment, but 

 this last is if anything the more important 

 of the two, for the serum does not kill the 

 bacilli which are on the surface of the 

 mucous membrane of the throat, and there- 

 fore does not prevent a person rendered im- 

 mune by it from being the means of .spread- 

 ing contagion. 



OYSTERS AS K MEAKS OF TRAXSMITTIXG 

 TYPHOID FEVER. 



The Medical Record of December 1.5, 1894, 

 contains a paper by Professor H. "W. Conn 

 upon an outbreak of typhoid at Wesleyan 

 University in October and November last, 

 which included about twentj--six cases. 

 When the serious character of the outbreak 

 was recognized, an investigation as to causes 

 was begun. The water supply was tested, 

 and the house i^lumbing was examined 

 without result. It was found that the dis- 

 ease was almost entirely limited to the 

 members of three fraternities. The period 

 of inculiation of typhoid — that is, the time 

 which elapses between the taking of typhoid 

 Ijacillus into the body and the definite mani- 

 festation of the disease — is usually from ten 

 to fourteen days, but may range from sevt'u 

 to twenty-eight days. The first cases of 

 the fever among tlie students appeared 

 October 20th, and suspicion soon fell upon 

 the fi-aternity sui)pers of October 12tli. 

 Careful examination of the food supplied at 

 these suppers showed that raw oysters, ob- 

 tained by each of the three fraternities from 

 the same oyster dealer, were the only things 



