Micro-organism of diphtheria with experimental results in animals / by Albert Wilson.

  • Albert Wilson
Date:
1891
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Micro-organism of diphtheria with experimental results in animals / by Albert Wilson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    From this, one sees the absolute inefficiency of chlorate of potash and permanganate of potash, so much used at present; also the uncertainty of sulphurous acid from its volatility. Also sulpho- carbolate of soda very inefficient. From the fact that dialysed iron is inert, and that 5 per cent, of hydrochloric acid is fatal to the cocci, one must infer that the benefit of tinct. ferri perchlor. in diphtheria arises from the hydro- chloric acid by its local action. On the other hand, there are many non-irritating, yet potent anti- septics, proved by experiment, and also I may say by the bedside ; especially boracic acid, hydrochloric and lactic acids, and salicylate of soda. My experiments were carried on in two houses. There was a cat in each house. Both cats fell ill with laryngitis, cough, choking and clawing at the throat, also great debility and paresis. One recovered spontaneously, the other by the use of salicylate of soda. On the other hand, most of the dead pigeons were given to another cat, which was unaffected. But here the acidity of the stomach might destroy the germs. There are many interesting questions opened up for discussion: Is diphtheria a local or a constitutional disease ? I think the experiments point to a constitutional disease, pri- marily, of which the local manifestation is the throat affection. How does the poison enter the system ? Is it by sowing germs on an inflamed tonsil, or by inhalation of germs into the lungs ? Is it by infected food coming in contact with the tonsils ? Can infected food act through the stomach ? Finally, what is diphtheria ? Are the sympathetic sore throats and the ulcerated throats, caught from a palpably true case, also diphtheria ? Are they due to attenuated germs ? What is the relationship then of mild diphtheria to the Infectious Disease Notification Act? I should not fulfil the purpose of my licence unless I laid stress on the practical results of the experiments. First: It establishes diphtheria as a constitutional disease. Hence the importance of internal remedies, such as the salicylate early in the disease to act on the germs in the blood. Yet by experience, many, and I myself, have succeeded by local treatment only, but it
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