Vol. 60, 1909 - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 79
tion or drenched to death with drugs as pyogenes, which is one of a large group of
formerly, but measures of great value have spherical bacteria uniting in chains, disbeen
introduced for the support and stimulation
of the heart, and especially the imcovered
by Koch and Ogston, independ-
ently in 1882, gives rise in man to a numportance
of a bountiful supply of fresh air ber of inflammatory and suppurative prohas
been recognized, in the modern treat- cesses, varying in kind and severity, accordment
of pneumonia. ing to the degree and quality of its viru-
Tlie srdden cessation of symptoms between
the .5th and Sth day. Which is frequentlv
characteristic of pneumonia, has
been considered by many to be due to the
lence, the region and mode of infection,
and the susceptibility of the tissues invaded,
Thus it is frequently the primary cause of
infection in erysipelas, acute abscess, celludevelopment
of antitoxic or other protective litis, lymphangitis, tonsilitis, sepsis, puer-
substances in the blood; and it has been peral fever, etc. ; less commonly in pleuritis,
assumed, therefore, that this disease should ulcerative endocarditis, pericarditis, arthribe
paiticularlv adapted for the serum treat- tis, osteomyelitis, and the like. Associated
ment. But, in the first place, it is by no with other bacteria, the streptococcus has
means certain that this is the true explana- also been found contributing to mixed intion
of the crisis, for all pneumonias do not fectionsin pulmonary tuberculosis, broncho-
terminate suddenly in this wav; and we pneumonia, scarlet fever, and septic diphknow
also that many cases have added to theria, playing an important part in these
the pneumonic infection a pneumococcic affections in the production of septicaemia
septicaemiaatthevery time when we should and fever. Streptococci are among the
expect the development of protective sub- most widely distributed of bacteria, having
stances. Moreover, experiments on animals heen found outside the body of man and
have shown that it is extremely difficult to animals in the air, soil and water, and in
produce artificial immunity even by repeated tfie air of surgical clinics. They have freinjections
of pneumococcic toxins. quently been observed in healthy persons
An antitoxin, howe\er, has been prepared
the mouth, nasal cavities, etc.
^''^^ in other infective processes, these
from the blood serum of immunized animals
and has been used in a large number "»cro-organ,sms are more likely to invade
of
'^e tissues and produce inflammation and
cases for the treatment of the disease in
man, without, as a rule, anv
suppuration when the standard of health is
striking preventive
or curative effect. Still the subject ^'?^' ^1'-^ '^^"^e- and especially
'^^^^''f
^^'l'"> ''-^ absorption or retention toxic pro-
is one which demands further studv and
^"-e present in excess m the body.
investigation.* f,"^'s
1^°^ example, local streptococcus infections
*ynl,: Reganling the failure to obtain reliable
serums in piitfumococcus, streptococcus and other are more liable to occur as complications
acute infections, the question is often asked, since or sequelae in various specific diseases, in
thediscovery of diphtheria antitoxin, how is it that chronic alcoholism, in constitutional affecone
species of bacteria will pro