Serums, vaccines and toxines in treatment and diagnosis.

  • Bosanquet, W. Cecil (William Cecil), 1866-1941.
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Serums, vaccines and toxines in treatment and diagnosis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    to the spot and are killed. This constitutes the spreading of the abscess. It may go on till a surface is reached, and the dead leucocytes (pus) and the bacteria are together discharged from the body. If, however, the bacteria are not sufficiently virulent to be able to establish themselves firmly in the tissues, we see that the first phenomena of inflammation are followed by the degeneration and disintegration of the germs. Only a few leucocytes may exude from the vessels to combat them, and these may be successful in their task. They are not killed in the attempt, and no mass of dead cells is therefore formed ; in other words, no suppuration occurs. The red- ness and swelling characteristic of inflammation quickly disappear, and the morbid process is at an end. In cases of general infection it is not so easy to observe what goes on as it is in such a local infection as has just been described. The bacteria, instead of remaining in one place, get into the general circulation, and there multiply. There is, however, in many cases the same development of a defensive force of leucocytes, which in this case results in an increase of the white corpuscles found in the circulat- ing blood. This is known as leucocytosis. This is well marked in some diseases, as in acute pneumonia or septi- caemia : in others, as in enteric fever, it does not occur. In the latter class of cases some other protective measure must take the place of the leucocytes. In most infective diseases, even in those which give rise to only a localised focus of disease, the temperature of the body rises considerably, constituting a condition of fever. It is probable that this rise of temperature is in many cases of a protective nature, as we know that most kinds of pathogenic bacteria grow best at the ordinary temperature of the healthy body (98-4° F. or about 37° C). In fever the heat of their surroundings may rise to 104° or 105° F. at which point the vital activities of some forms of bacteria are much retarded; hence it is possible that the febrile reaction is of a defensive nature. i