I. The cause of death from subdural injection of serum / by Worth Hale ; II. Some new cholera selective media / by Joseph Goldberger.
- Hale, Worth, 1876-
- Date:
- 1914
Licence: In copyright
Credit: I. The cause of death from subdural injection of serum / by Worth Hale ; II. Some new cholera selective media / by Joseph Goldberger. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![1 .—THE CAUSE OF DEATH FROM SUBDURAL INJECTIONS OF SERUM.1 By Worth Hale. [From the Hygienic Laboratory, United States Public Health Service.] The treatment of cerebrospinal fever by a specific antiserum was introduced as a therapeutic measure in 1906 and 1907 subsequent to certain experiments on animals inoculated with the Diplococcus intracellularis Weichselbaum. In these experiments it was shown that the animals were not only protected from the disease but also that the treatment was without danger to the animal, although introduced directly into the subarachnoid space of the spinal cord. As had been demonstrated by these animal experiments, the possibility of reducing the mortality rate in this disease by the use of this serum was soon verified by the successful treatment of many cases. Statistics covering the ground have been compiled which show the results of both the older methods of treatment and the specific serum treatment during the same epidemics. It is clear from the data thus gathered that the antiserum has been particularly efficacious when contrasted with the results where other treatment was resorted to, since in the latter cases the death rate has been from two-thirds to three-fourths greater than among the cases which were given the antiserum treatment. The serum treatment of cerebrospinal fever appears, however, to entail certain dangers to the patient and recently there have ap-' peared a number of reports describing alarming symptoms and, in a number of instances, death. These untoward results occurred in such close relation to the administration of the treatment that the treatment, rather than the disease, seemed to be responsible. Serious symptoms were observed by Sophian2 and Bitterer3 and a number of cases of sudden death are reported by Kramer,4 who also calls attention to certain cases of death which appeared in Parmlee’s5 report. This occasional undesirable effect of the serum treatment should not, however, be considered as militating against its regular and invariable use in all cases of the disease, for the dangers which may arise from the treatment are not to be feared in 1 Manuscript submitted for publication Nov. 1, 1913. 2 Sophian. Journ. Am. Med. Assn., 1912, vol. 58, p. 843. 3 Litterer. Idem, 1912, vol. 59, p. 531. * Kramer. Idem, 1913, vol. 60, p. 1348. 5 Parmlee. Idem, 1913, vol. 60, p. 659.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30800419_0009.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
