REPORTS OF OASES. 
709 
It affords me great pleasure to acknowledge the most val¬ 
uable assistance rendered me by Drs. Adami and Martin, of 
the Pathological Laboratory, in the investigations of this case. 
REPORTS OF CASES, 
A CASE OF TETANUS CURED WITH ANTITOXIN. 
By Geo. Jobson, V.S., Oil City, Ta. 
The curative treatment by means of antitoxin, although 
as yet confined to a limited number of diseases, opens a field 
whose limits we cannot yet define, and many diseases which 
are now looked upon as fatal may in the near future be cured 
by this form of treatment. The discovery Of tetanus anti 
toxin is one of the most recent and valuable additions to the 
list, and it is the only known remedy at present that can be 
relied upon to cure this generally fatal disease. 
Before proceeding with a description of the case referred 
to, it will be well to give a brief outline of the cause of the 
disease, so that we may better understand the action of the 
remedy. Tetanus is a germ disease which attacks most all 
species of domestic animals, and man; and it is characterized 
by spasmodic convulsions of the muscles, which, before at¬ 
tacking the entire apparatus generally begins in a limited num¬ 
ber ; for instance, when the face muscles are affected and the 
jaws become locked, it is called “ lockjaw.” Later the en¬ 
tire apparatus is involved, and the body becomes rigid; a 
condition which is brought about by the entrance of germs 
into the system, and the formation of them by poisons, called 
toxins. 
That tetanus occurs spontaneously has very few supporters 
at present, as it is necessary to have the presence of the toxin 
or poison before the disease is produced, and the germs which 
produce it may gain entrance to the system by the slightest 
kind of a wound. 
The bacillus of tetanus is an anaerobic germ, i. e., one which 
cannot live in the presence of the atmosphere, the oxygen in 
it being the destructive agent. This rod-shaped germ is widely 
