ANTITOXIN

is the natural antidote to the poisons ray by disease germs. These poisons are known as In the proce of recovery the blood becomes vont with antitoxins pean by the ti ues. In cases, notably in diphtheria, this fact has been mado use of in the treatment of discase. Horses are dosed with “diphtheria toxin in steadily increasing doses until their blood ey charged with diphtheria antitoxin. Some of the blood is then withdrawn, and from this the _ Strum containing all the antitoxin is obtained. This serum _ is then injected into a patient suffering from diphtheria as soon as po ible after the disease has been recognised. By this means the patient is provided with antitoxin before he _ has had time to produce it for himself, and thus much time is gained which often makes tho difference between life and death. The mode of termination of the very mild and of the very severe cases 15 not altered, it is in the cases intermediate in severity between these that the value of antitoxia is so great. [s. 332]