TETA2TOS 175 



in various parts of the South. Most of the reports of 

 good results from anti-tetanic* serum come from the 

 South. 



That tetanus can not be cured, nor even benefited, by 

 the use of anti-tetanic serum was proved to me beyond all 

 doubt while I was yet a student of veterinary medicine. 

 I was serving at that time as an assistant to two veter- 

 inarians in the city of Milwaukee. These gentlemen were 

 in the employ of a live-stock insurance company that gave 

 free veterinary services to the animals insured. The com- 

 pany had at that time, aS well as I can remember, more 

 than 3,000 horses insured in Milwaukee, all of them in 

 charge of the two veterinarians to whom I was assistant. 

 No expense was ever thought of by these two gentlemen 

 when it was a matter of saving the life of an insured 

 horse; the insurance company paid the drug bills, and 

 the watchword with them was, "go the limit." If ever 

 anti-tetanic serum was given a thorough trial as a cura- 

 tive agent, these two veterinarians gave it. I, myself, 

 under their supervision, used more anti-tetanic serum in 

 a single ease of tetanus than I have used all told during 

 the past twelve years, and more than I expect to use 

 during the remainder of my career as a veterinary prac- 

 titioner. Case after case was treated in this manner with 

 not a shadow of benefit that could be attributed to the 

 serum. True, some cases recovered; but not more rap- 

 idly, nor with less trouble, than under the carbolic acid 

 treatment which was in vogue at that time. And the cost 

 of treatment with anti-tetanic serum was, therefore, and 

 is today, entirely out of reasonable proportion to the 

 benefit derived. 



The conclusion arrived at by the veterinarians referred 

 to above was that any case of tetanus that recovers under 



*Anti-tetanic serum is the proper term. There is no tetanus 

 anti-toxin used, or on the market. 



