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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (April 12, 1903)
Successful Serum for Scarlet Fever (Copyright, 1903. by Samuel Wlllets.) Si mta ineir outer aisappoioimeni I oyer the failure of Koch's tu- mrvuiiM u m cure lor consunip- Mon, In 1891, medical men hare been somewhat conservative about the scrum treatment as a specific for disease. In the luramtr of the same year, when antitoxin waa placed before a medical congress In London aa a apeciflo for diphtheria, it waa scoffed at by emi nent skeptics. It took three years to get this discovery beyond the experimental stage Into the clinics, but no one now dis putes Its efficacy. The greatest discovery In the. field of medical science since that time has been the scarlet fever serum, or anti-streptococcus, as the doctors call It. True, a Jap anese student In Derlin, Dr. Kltsato, has dropped In during the Interval with his serum for lockjaw, and It baa proved aa successful In Its results aa anti-toxin for diphtheria; but It doea not compare In Im portance with the serum cure for diph theria or for scarlet fever. The scarlet fever serum, like the serums that precede It, waa discovered by Berlin medical scientists. The Marmornek scsrlet fever scrum wss experimented with seven years ago, and found wanting. Some of It was sent to America and experiments made with It by Dr. Louie Fischer of the Wlllard rarker and Riverside hospitals. New York City, associated with other physicians, for the benefit of the New York board of health. The serum proved as weak and disappointing as Koch's tuberculins. A re port was made to the board that the phy sicians were not Justified In either using or recommending the use of the scarlet fever serum, and that the Indiscriminate sale of It should be prohibited until clinical experience) established Its true therapeutic value. Now there Is a different tsle to tell. Within the past few weeks a higher de velopment of the scarlet fever serum has been experimented with by Dr. Fischer, and with nnqualllfled success. The result," said Dr. Fischer In an In terview, "takes the scarlet fever serum out of the experimental and puts It Into the clinical stage. It proves, In my opinion and in the opinion of many other medical men of my acquaintance, that the serum cure is the therspeutle fcgent of the future. It Is a triumph for the prophylactic tend ency of modern medicine that, la, a ten dency to prevent dlseaae rather than to euro It. "In a very short time I firmly believe the value of the scarlet fever aerum will be aa undisputed as the diphtheria serum Is now. I believe thst It will be adopted by boards of health throughout the country. I . have tried its effect on two cases, one of them which appeared to be hopeless, and the results were all that could be desired. Episodes and Incidents in OT many are aware that Sonator Quay of Pennsylvania won' a reputation for bravery in ths civil war. Hs was a volunteer aid at ths charge upon Marye'a Ths line showed signs of break- N Heights Ing end Quay called out "D n It, boys. what are you dodging forT If I can sit on my horse and ths bullets go over my head they certainly csn't hit you." His presence of mind stopped the panic. When Secretary Wyndham met the repre sentatives of the Irish landlords and ten ants and laid before them his land pur chase scheme William O'Brien pushed his chair back from ths table and exclaimed "For the Brat time In my life I ssy. 'God save the king!'" Lord Clsnrloarde, . tbs most unpopular acd most unmerciful of Irlrh landlords, capped this uttersnce with tho words: "For the first time in my life 1 ssy, 'God ssve Ireland!' " Not long ago a newspaper man called on Secretary Hay to question him regarding a diplomatic incident of rather a delicate In ternational character. The newspaper man wss afraid ha might make some injudicious Inquiry and said: "Mr. Secretary, I am afraid my questions are not proper from a diplomatic staudpolnt." "My desr sir," answered Secretary Hay, "I don't think any question you may ssk will be Improper. The Impropriety depends on whether or not I answer It." $ Viscount Tadaau Hayashi. Japanese am bassador at London, was recently initiated Into Freemasonry st ths Empire lodge. The ceremony wss a unique and Interesting per form see, Inssmuch ss he Is not only the . first foreign ambassador to be Initiated In aa English lodge, but he Is believed to be the ftnt of his countrymen, who are mostly Phintolsts or BetMhists, to be in. strueted In the srts and mysteries of the craft. Although there are two lodges In Yokohama, one In Toklo end eae In Yeddo, thsy are all under the grand lodge of Eng. land, and all the members are British. The only ex-officer of the confederate army who cling to his uniform Is Geaeral Oeorge F. Altord of Dallas, Tex. He hss never discarded his colors since he donned them to go Into the army In the early '60s. Pedestrians turn to look at him, peering at his badges, scanning his gold belt and try "Perhaps, at the Fourteenth International Medical congress, which will be held at Madrid next May, some of the Derlin bac teriologists will tell or their progress with the scrum, and the world will hear some thing more of another great discovery In medical science. I am going to the con gress, and It Is my intention afterward to go to Berlin and see Dr. Hsns Aronson, . with whoso serum I have been recently experimenting. "In order to make the subject more In teresting to the lsy reader," continued Dr. Fischer, "suppose I give a brief review of the serum treatment and the principle that underlies It. "Many years ago Professor Ehrllch of Berlin discovered that abrln and rlcln, both deadly poisons, could be Injected In small and then In Increasingly large dosos into animals, until they had acquired a 'toler ance,' to uae a medical term, for these poisons. In other words, large doses could be Injected without fstal effects. These animals were called Immune. Then he rea soned that If the blood of Immune animals could neutralise these specific poisons, probably the serum from the blood of ani mals would contain healing substances. Thus he learned that in some Instances small quantities of blood, or serum, when Injected Into another animal, would pre vent It from dying after receiving an other wise fatsl dose of poison. This same prin ciple has been applied In producing Im munity from toxin generated by disease germs. "The tuberculins serum, or Koch's lmph, as It was called, created more of a sen sation In the medical world, and in all parts of It, thsn anything since Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the blood. It was the first of the serum discoveries aa applied to human bslngs. But It was not a sound product; and After a brief ex perience In the clinics, it waa a keen dis appointment. But Dr. Koch is still work ing on it, snd he may yet make it as dis tinct a success as he diphtheria aerum has provsd, snd, aa I firmly believe, t he scsrlet fever serum is destined to prove. Ons never knows. "Dr. Hans Aronson, a distinguished bac teriologist of Berlin, Is too man who has brought, the scarlet fever serum to Its present perfection. One of the reasons that we have bsen so late In getting It In this country Is that it wss not perfected nntil recently, and that it is very slaw In de velopment. Even now, scientists do not all agree that the real germ has been found, but the majority sro of the opinion that the atreptococcus la the bona fide scar let fever germ. ' "Coccus means a micro-organism that is round, and streptococcus means germs In spiral form, like a man'a watch chain. There are numerous varieties of strepto cocci. Some grow In pairs and are called ing to decipher the letters en his eld army hat. General Alford has been a judge, a banker, a legislator snd a congressman. When Prince Henry of Prussia visited the United States about a year ago persons were surprised to see how quickly he picked up American Idioms. To those associated with hiin it was not uncommon to hear such phrases as "made him feel like 30 cents," "out o' sight" and "go 'way back and alt down," with other current slang of twelve months ego, come trtpp'ngly frm 'he royal Hps. Therefore no one here Is surprised to leern that In speaking of a statement he deems particularly direct and appropriate Baron von Sternburg frequently says: "It's bully right off the bet." President Ramsey of the Wabash railroad was not much perturbed over the strike which threatened his system a few weeks ago. "I suppose," he said philosophically, "the men will quit, the clorks will be given a vseatlon, I'll dlschsrgs their duties ant then attempt to Are an engins." "Will the sympathy of the publd; be with the men or the road?" asked sn Interviewer. "I be lieve with the rosd." said President Ram sey. "We'll Issue passes to all who apply. When these people find that the road la tied up they will condemn the strikers. By ths time operations sre resumed the time limit on the passes will hsve expired." One of the lets Tom Reed's friends and colleagues was telling a story the other dsy Illustrative of the distinguished speak er's opposition to the Spanish war and In terference in Cuba. -About the time war was declared Reed came out of -his hotsl one morning boiling mad. To a friend he declared: "I would not give a drop of American blood for all the 'dagoes' and negroes In the Island of Cuba. I would not give the lite of one American to aave 8.000, 00 of them. No. sir, I would not, except perhsps" here's smile spread over his big fsce and he relapssd Into a "down-east" drawl "yes, I believe I might sscrtfice Sen ator and he named a senator whom he held responsible for much of the feeling that resulted in the war with Spain. . -. General Herman Haupt, a classmate of General Meade at West Point, Is M years Id and lively as a kitten. He has been building artilleryman at Washington on diplococcl. Others grow In bunches, like grapes, snd sre called staphlococcl. Then there Is the pneumaococcua, or the germ from pneumonia, and the meningococcus, the germ from menningltls. "Dr. Aronson took some streptococci from the tonsil of a severe case of scsrlet fever and produced a pure culture of the same. He then genersted the toxin there from and by laboratory experiment dem onstrated to his satisfsctlon that he could neutralize the deadly toxin by adding to it some of the serum which hs produced. Dr. Aronson Injected several horses with fatal doses of the streptococcus derived from scarlet fever esses. When they were made Immune he withdrew some of the serum and successfully utilized it for heal ing purposes. Then what was possible In the laboratory wss transplanted to the hospital ward. "But the credit of first disseminating the vslue of ths serum belongs to Prof. Adolph Baglnsky, the director of the Kslser and Kalserln Frcderlch Children's hospital of Berlin. It should be understood that scrum, when injected Into a child or grown person, does not kill the germ of disease. The serum simply neutralise the toxlnes generated In the body. The toxlnes are the cause of death In the human system by producing paralysis or degeneration of the heart muscles, or by preventing the proper action of the kidneys, they cause death by a process which we call toxaemia, which simply means blood poisoning. Thus, the object In Injecting scarlet fever serum is not so much to Inhibit the growth of disease germs as to prevent blood poison ing snd the usual complications arising from poison circulating in the blood. "Now let me take up my own case, and another in which I was consulted, upon both of which I have recently used the scarlet fever serum with success. "The first waa a 7 months child of healthy parents, brought up on a patent baby food after her first four months' of life. Although only 6 yesrs old, she had already recovered from one case of pneu monia and Is susceptible to tonsllitia and bronchitis. When she was stricken with scarlet fever early last February I had grave doubts that any treatment whatever could save her life. As Is usual In this disease, the kidneys and bowels refused to work altogether. I gave her an Injection of Aronaon's serum and from that time on these organs worked naturally. The usual aesccptlc method was carried out to avoid local Infection. The child's condition Im proved gradually and today ahe Is as well as she haa ever been. "The second case. In which I was called In consultation with another physician, was an 8-year-old girl, who had been sick three days, snd. whose temperature was 104 de grees. Her pulso was weak and rapid. A very Intense eruption covered the entire body. Large necrotic patchea covered the the Lives of Noted People what he calls "balanced ration. Here Is his dally menu for the artillerymen: Breakfast, four or five milk biscuits, one spple; lunch. Graham bread and cheese, two or three milk proteld biscuits; tea, two or thr?e milk proteld biscuits; supper, one vegetable (spinach, for example), four or five milk proteld biscuits; just before go ing to bed, two or tbreo glasses of water and one apple. The cost of this ration Is $1.89 a week. The general is a strict disciple of his own teschlngs and now at 86 is ss sound as a whistle, with his mind as clear aa when be led his class nearly seventy years ago. $, The clerks of the patent office at Wash ington, D. C, began several years ago to keep a systematic account of the patenta Issued to Thomas A. Edison. They hsve his vsrlous Inventions tsbulated and In dexed, so that they can put their hands on rsch different Idea he has protected by patent from the beginning of bis marvel ous career of Invention. When a pending claim Is allowed, as It no doubt will be this month, Mr Edition will hsve received 791 patents In all. He Is not adding to the list ss many Ideas nowadays as hs did some years sgo. Up to 1895 he had taken out 711 patents. Since then he hsd added to the list from three to twenty-three pstents each year. Last year he took out nine teen. This year, so far, he has received six. In ordinary fees for patents Mr. Edison has spent over $fl,000. During their visit In St. Louis to attend the dedication of the world's fslr President Roosevelt and ex-President Cleveland will sleep snd est st the same house. President D. R. Francis of the world's fslr company hss msde arrangements to entertain both the president and the ex-prestdent at bis handsoms hame at Newstesd and Maryland avenues. Members of ths cabinet will be entertained at the homes of William H. Thompson, treasurer of the fair, and ex Governor E. O. Stanard, one of the di rectors. Senator Depew will be the guest of Corwin H. Spencer, vice president of ths exposition. d Prcbabty It was at this time (1877). writes Ida M. Tarbell la McClure's. that there took place the little scene between Mr. Vandrrbilt and Mr. Rockefeller and his colleagues of which the former told the throat. I gave an injection of the scarlet fever sernm. On the second visit, I no ticed the entire disappearance cf necrotic patches of the throat and the dlssppear ance or the obstruction of other functions Identical with my own case. I am Informed that the child has almost recovered. "I do not hesitate to say," continued Dr. Fischer, "that, given proper food, proper nursing, and proper hygenlc surroundings, patients may be cured of scarlet fever with the new serum ss surely as they sre of diphtheria with anti-toxin. All of us can remember when diphtheria was a disease all parents dreaded. It was regarded as surely fstal. Now, by the use of serum, we see children in the last stages cured In a few days. This is the case at almost every hospitsl. "Dr. Baglnsky has kept a careful record of his success with the scsrlet fever serum. In the first group of cases, nineteen in all, he had only one death. In the second group, five cases, he had no death. In the third group, eighteen cases, he had one death, and in the fourth group, sixteen cases, one death. Thia makes a total of fifty-eight cases and three deaths, or 4.2 per cent. "I understand that a number of physi cians In this country have sent for some of the Aronson serum and are experiment ing with it. In careful and expeiienced hands, I see no reason why the results should not be as satisfactory here as they have been ab-oad. "The specific action of antl-toxln In diphtheria is far greater, comparatively, than the action attained from the use of this scarlet fever serum. It Is too soon for me to form definite conclusions upon the after effects of the treatment, based upon an experience of only two cases. But the clinical results were certainly striking. The effect of the serum on the tempera ture shows that It did Inhibit bacterial products. "Another Interesting observation. In both cases, was the almost melting away or the necrotic membranes after the fourth day. The temperature came down grad ually. The glands of the neck In both cases, were swollen and subsided with the disap pearance of throat manifestations. Dr. Baglnsky maintains that, all In all, there are no disagreeable effects from thla new serum. The fever, even In severe forma, declined stesdlly and without interruption from complications. "It Is too early yet," concluded Dr. Fischer, "to form- an opinion on the value of the new riexner serum for dysentery and cholera Infantum, experiments on which are going on at the Rockefeller In-. stitute In Baltimore, and also In Phila delphia. Let us all hope that successful results may come from it. Professor Flex ner is not a man to make unwarranted statements. K he can work out his dis covery, it will be the means of saving thousands of children from death." Hepburn commission In 1879. The Standard people were after more rebates. They af firmed other roads were giving larger rebates thsn Mr. Vanderbilt and that their contract with htm obliged him to give as much as anybody else did. "Gentlemen," he told them, "you cannot walk Into this office and eay we are bound by any contract to do business with you at any price that any other road does that is In competition with us; It Is only on a fair competitive basis, a fair competition for business at a price that I consider will pay the company to do it." Soon after this Interview, so rumor says, Mr. Vsnderbuilt sold the Stsndsrd stock he hsd acquired as a result of the. deals msde through the South Improvement company. "I think they are smarter fellows than I am, a good deal." he told the commission, somewhat ruefully; "and it you come In contact with them I guess you will come to the same conclusion." Mayor Low of New York Is suffering from a surplus of banquet. His digestion has gons on strike against the rich anj highly spiced foods served at elaborate functions and Mr. Low is now dieting strictly. He had srranged to attend a dinner given by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, but has sent a letter of regret, In which he says: "I hsve been Indulging in so many miles of dinners during the last few -months that I have had to cancel all of my outstandng dinner engagements for this mouth. Even St. Patrick, I fear, could not hold me harmless if I were to violate the dictates of prudence in this regard." Before leaving Washington for Cleveland to take part In the mayoralty campaign there Senator Hanna called on the president and was escorted to the cabinet room. Sec retary Root also came and was shown into the ssme place. Judge Halls of New York and "General" Dick of Ohio were in the ante-room at the time. They heard a crash as of something falling to the floor, and Judge Halls exclaimed: "What's that?" Mr. Dick replied easily: "That la ths first failure of Roosevelt and Root In their attempt to put old man Hanna on the vice presidential shelf, which you and the president know so much about They had Just hoisted him up on the shelf, but he haa wriggled off."