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Park and Zingher started artificial immunisation of children in New
York. With what result? Ever since the inception of this artificial
immunisation or inoculation, Diphtheria has steadily diminished in its
incidence. In London we know that Diphtheria is increasing. Before
I explain this artificial immunisation to you, let me tell you that this
work is now being carried out in Scotland—in Edinburgh, Aberdeen
and elsewhere; in London it is being carried out in Holborn,
Westminster, Camberwell and Deptford. (During the past few weeks
I have Schick Tested and inoculated over 100 people, mostly children.)
In his Annual Report for 1925, Sir George Newman, Chief Medical
Officer to the Ministry of Health, said "As a result of improvement in
material and technique, this method of prevention has now passed
beyond the experimental stage, and is widely recognised as the best
way of protecting against the disease." Again he says, "As anti-toxin
has proved itself the best method of treatment, so immunisation appears
to be our best prophylactic."
The discovery of anti-toxin as a means of treatment and cure of
Diphtheria was a revelation, but this protection treatment as a means
of prevention is a revolution. We ought all of us to be in agreement
that we have in protective immunisation a very valuable public health
measure whereby we can control the occurrence of Diphtheria in the
community, and more especially in the young child from one to six years.
By preventing the occurrence of Diphtheria, deaths from this disease
will disappear and with it many of the serious after-effects. The first
thing we have to do is to explain everything to the parents in simple
language—by simple talks, popular lectures and by a film display such
as I gave recently to a crowded meeting in Deptford Town Hall.
Now, how do we do it ? What material is used ? How long does
the immunity last ? Has it any bad effects ? The first point to
understand is the Schick Test. This is carried out to ascertain whether
a child has a natural immunity, that is, whether it has anti-toxin in its
own blood, which will enable it to cope with the infecting germs and
so stave off an attack of the disease. This Schick test is applied to
all children of six years and over; it is not applied to children under
six years because the overwhelming majority of these latter are practically
non-immune, i.e., susceptible, i.e., not able to fight off the infecting
toxins. The material for the Schick test is made by growing germs of
Diphtheria in a suitable fluid medium. The germs give off Diphtheria