"There are five American branches, I was told, and there are manufacturing plants in England and Canada. In the English plant are employed 250 persons. There is nothing wanting in this plant for the production of powerful, accurate, uniform and palatable medication. They have a circulating library for the employes, as well as an emergency hospital, and I understand the employes have decent hours and are well treated." The Professor was asked why such plants are not established in the old world. He said: "The reason is that in the countries of Europe every druggist is a manufacturer. He compounds his own medicines in the back room of his store. He has his own laboratory, and there he experiments. Here it is different. If the druggists of the old world could have walked through the plant that I walked to-day, they would no doubt have become discouraged, for they would realize that they could never hope to learn in a lifetime what is learned in that institution every hour." Prof. Schweitzer will remain in Detroit until the cases before the courts are disposed of. In the meantime he will visit the University of Michigan. This is his first visit to this city, and he expresses himself as being charmed with the city and with its people. Attorney Allan H. Frazer, who is a friend of the Professor, will see to it that he comes in contact with the bright side of Detroit life. From the Detroit Journal, Tuesday, October 22, 1901. THE MUSTARD BATH IN FUNCTIONAL CYANOSIS OF THE NEW-BORN. In all probability many a practitioner has resorted to, the mustard bath in cases of sudden depression in infants, from whatever cause. Cyanosis, with death imminent, to all appearances is an accident that sometimes happens to a new-born infant, and that, too, in the opinion of Dr. Adrien Besson, without atelectasis of the lungs or other organic disease. At a recent meeting of the Lille Anatomoclinical Society (Journal des Sciences Medicales de Lille, May 11, 1901), he reported three cases in which the mustard bath had proved promptly efficient and the dangerous condition had not recurred. It is always well to bear simple remedies in mind.-New York Medical Journal, June 29, 1901. CAMPHOR DRESSING FOR VARICOSE ULCERS.-Camphor is a drug which for many years was held in great esteem, especially in extra-professional circles; indeed, the late M. Raspail founded a school of therapeutics which still rejoices in great popularity in France, based on the use of camphor internally and externally as a curative agent. Its anti-spasmodic properties, though well authenticated, have of late fallen into disrepute, or at any rate into disuse, and externally it is only employed in this country in the form of a liniment of which it is but a subsidiary constituent. Two German physicians have recently called attention to the value of camphor dressings in promoting the cicatrization of varicose ulcers of the legs which are notoriously refractory to treatment. They make use of an ointment containing 2 per cent. of camphor, with from fifteen to twenty parts of oxide of zinc, or, if this be found too irritating, they prescribe a mixture of two parts of camphor with forty parts of zinc oxide, and fifty parts of olive oil. An alternative application is a solution of the drug in spirit, but this must only be applied after the ulcerated surface has been thoroughly cleaned of scabs and crusts by poultices. It is asserted that under this treatment the most obstinate ulcer will cicatrize within three weeks, which is more than is claimed for the much lauded oxygen treatment, over which, moreover, it has the advantage of being more generally applicable at a vastly smaller cost.-The Medical Press. be ECTHOL exerts a decided influenc on eczema, and can be used to advantage in several different conditions. In cases of moist and inflamed lesions with great soreness and irritation it may given in teaspoonful doses; and the more markedly the eruption is purulent the more decided the effect. It may also be used with manifest advantage when the patches are greatly infiltrated and the inflammation is sub-acute in character.-American Journal of Dermatology and Genito Urinary Diseases. Editorial. ORGANO-THERAPY GETS A BLACK EYE IN ST. LOUIS. The occurrence of a series of fatal cases of tetanus, developing in such quick succession as to almost be simultaneous, and all in children on whom diphtheria antitoxin had been used created no little degree of consternation, and has been followed by a careful investigation. In the Associated Press dispatches in the Nashville Daily American of November 19th, we find the following, which gives a very full statement of the case, including the verdict of the Coroner: ST. LOUIS, Nov. 18.-Coroner Funkhouser to-day rendered a verdict, finding the St. Louis Health Department negligent in the preparation of diphtheria antitoxine that caused the deaths by lock-jaw of the seven children to whom it was recently administered. For some time the City Health Department has been making antitoxin for use in diphtheria cases. This was distributed among practicing physicians throughout the city free of charge and used in the city institutions quite generally. In many cases it is said to have saved lives. The serum in the present case was obtained from horses that are said to have contracted tetanus. The Coroner's verdict is based upon testimony of physicians who attended the lock-jaw cases, the inquest and the report of the bacteriologists employed by the city to make the tests of the infected serum and ascertain the responsibility for it. When informed of the nature of the Coroner's verdict, Dr. Amand Ravold, city bacteriologist, said: "I repeat my previous assertion that none of the serum marked September 30 was distributed to any one or under any label. I poured the entire drawing into the sink on October 11, as both Mr. Taylor and I, who was with me in the office at the time, testified." Health Commissioner Starkloff is out of the city on a hunting trip. In his absence Charles W. Francis, Assistant Health Commissioner, is in charge of the department. He said: "I shall read the report of the experts and the Coroner's verdict and then take such action as I deem to be my duty. As the manufacture of antitoxin by the city has been stopped the case is not now one of emergency, and I may not decide for several days what action I shall take." The findings of the committee of bacteriologists as presented to the Coroner were as follows: "The testimony shows that the health department owned a horse named Jim, stabled at the poor-house farm and used in the preparation of diphtheria antitoxin. Said horse Jim developed tetanus on October 2, 1901, and was at once killed. "Blood was drawn from said horse Jim on August 24, 1901, the serum of which was nontoxic. Blood was again drawn from said horse Jim September 30 (during the period of the incubation of tetanus), the serum of which contaiued tetanus toxin. The serum drawn September 30, 1901, was issued by the Health Department in bottles bearing labels, respectively dated August 24, 1901, and September 30. "That the toxic serum drawn September 30, 1901, was issued, is shown by the fact that the toxic serum dated September 30, 1901, are identical in the following particulars: "First, inappearance; second, absolute weight; third, specific gravity; fourth, freezing point; fifth, chemical reaction; sixth, spectrum analysis; seventh, antitoxic potency; and eighth, toxic value in producing tetanus in lower animals. "The nontoxic serum drawn August 24, 1901, and so labled, in no wise agrees with the toxic serum of the above characteristics. "As a result of our investigations we draw the following conclusions: "The diphtheria antitoxin prepared by the health department of the city of St. Louis, and dated September 30, and some of the serum dated August 24, was the cause of the recent deaths from tetanus in the cases where this antitoxin was used. "This antitoxin was sterile, but contained the toxin of the tetanus bacillus in considerable amount. "There were two different sera issued under date of August 24, one portion not containing the tetanus toxin and characterized by other properties, while the other contained the tetanus toxin and was identical with the serum bearing the date of September 30. "The most important result we have arrived at is the positive demonstration that the toxic serum dated August 24 and that dated September 30 are identical. From this we conclude that the serum of September 30 was issued without having been tested by the proper methods, and that a part of it was filled into bottles bearing the date of August 24, or was furnished with labels having previously been stamped with this date. We are justified in drawing this conclusion from two observations. "First, that the Serum of September 30 was issued before there was time to have performed the simple tests necessary to determine the antitoxic potency of the serum. "Second, in the same way serum dated October 23 came into our possession on November 14. The serum had been issued to physicians by the health department and by them returned to the officer. It is obvious from this that no animal experiments could have been made with this antitoxin. As this was the case with the serum of October 23, it is the natural inference that the serum of September 30 was issued in the same way. "It is impossible for latent tetanus to have existed in the horse Jim from August 24 to September 30, as no well authenticated cases have been reported in which the incubation period extended over seven days in experiments directed to test this point. The period of incubation cannot be determined from clinical observation, but from the nature of the case. "It therefore follows from this that the serum drawn on August 24 was free from tetanus, but that the serum of September 30 was drawn during the period of incubation and had it been tested upon animals it it must necessarily have revealed its toxic properties. neces "From the foregoing facts we are forced to conclude that the diphtheria antitoxin prepared by the City Health Department had been issued before it was possible to have obtained results from the absolutely nece sary tests. Had these tests been performed the results upon animals would have been such that the serum would not have been dispensed and the cases of tetanus forming the basis of this report could not have rerulted. The Coroner's verdict is as follows: "C. FISCH, M.D., "E. WALDON, M.D., "We find that the decedents came to their death from tetanus, following administration of diphtheria antitoxin containing tetanus toxin, said diphtheria antitoxin having been prepared and issued by the Health Department of the City of St. Louis and bearing dates on labels of August 24 and September 30, 1901. The presence of tetanus toxin in the diphtheria antitoxin shows negligence upon the part of the health department in the preparation of said diphtheria antitoxin and in the issuance thereof." From the news items in the Journal of American Medical Association of November 23rd, we learn that owing to the great distrust of the use of antitoxin, that in the preceding fortnight the deaths from diphtheria in Chicago had increased fully one-third. A very excellent editorial in regard to this unjustifiable (?) distrust is also to be found in the same issue. While it is sad, indeed, and greatly to be regretted that so alarming a fatality has followed the use of antitoxin, and that it will necessarily hamper all physicians to a great extent in its use, we cannot but think that the custom of health departments going into the manufacture of such preparations is not at all proper. There are other quite sufficient duties devolving upon the health authorities; and we see no more reason for them undertaking such measures than going into the manufacture of quinine, ether, castor oil, Epsom salts or other therapeutic agents. The manufacture of animal extracts or therapeutic sera require, in our opinion, the very highest degree of care and the closest of scrutiny. Let it be left to other than municipal establishments we would say in most emphatic terms. It is too much a question of "political pull" in these advanced days |