ABSTRACTS.

TREATMENT BY ERYSIPELAS SERUM.

EMMERICH (Aftl1lch. med. IVocll., 1894, Nos. 29, 30, :lnd 31) concludes his researches along with Most, Scholl, and Isuboi (EPITOME, 28th July 1894, par. 77). He says that it is possible to treat successively malignant growths, lupus, tuberculosis, syphilis, by the erysipelas serum. He gives some details of recorded cases, showing the beneficial action of erysipelas on malignant disease. Experiments are related to show the action of this serum on tuber­culosis in animals. It hinders the development of the tuberculous process as seen in the anterior chamber of the eye. His experments would lead him to think that tuberculosis in man could be thus brought to a standstill, or by long-continued treatment even cured. The author, along with Popoff, has found no such result, with the products of other micro-organisms. Erysipelas has also marked healing effects on dil 'htheria, and illustrative cases are given. The author ohtains his serum from sheep inoculated with the erysipelas streptococcus. It is filtered free from the micro-organisms. Caution is needed in the use of the serum, to find out how much may be given without doing harm. Basing his arguments on experiment, and the results obtained by the action of erysipelas itself on certain diseases, the author advocates the treatment with this serum.-Brit. Med. Journal.

INFECTION OF FRESH WOUNDS.

SCHiMMELBUSCH (Dellt. /lied. TVoclt., 12th July 1894) relates his investigations into the taking up of bacteria by fresh bleeding wounds. Amputation of a limb several centimetres above such an infected wound even after a short time is unable to ward off the fatal event. He refers to Nissen's experiments with reference to anthrax in this respect. Animals were inoculated by the author along with Ricker with pure anthrax cultures or anthrax containing tissue. Anthrax was found by means of cultivation experiments in the internal organs when the animal was killed even as early as half an hour after the infection. The author further made some eighty experiments with saprophytic micro-organisms. In the shortest possible time these micro­organisms could be demonstrated in the internal organs. Five minutes after the infection of a wound in the thigh of a rabbit with b. pyocyaneus, these micro-organisms were found in the organs. Large portions of the organs in question must be taken and cut up into the smallest pieces. The rapid taking up of micro-organisms explains the uselessness of amputation in cases of anthrax of the extremities in mice. This resorption may be compared to the phenomena seen in fat embolism. It is of no importance in case of saprophytes, and of little moment in that of pyogenic micro-organisms which do not settle down in the blood, but in the case of septic diseases like anthrax, e:c., it means the death of the individual.-Ibid.