View report page

These recommendations were accepted and
adopted by the Council on November 14th, and
later on a circular letter was sent to all the
medical men practising in the district, acquainting
them with the arrangements that were made
to give effect to this Order. In referring back
I find that on the 7th January, 1895, your Clerk,
by order of the Council, and on my earnest recommendation,
sent a letter to every medical man
known to be practising in the district drawing
their attention to the progress in bacteriology as
a means of diagnosis in cases of sore throat and
"to the great advantage that seems likely to be
gained by the subcutaneous injection of serum
obtained from immune animals." This was in
reference to the then newly-discovered and applied
anti-toxin, and the letter further drew attention
to the sources whence this assistance could be
obtained, and that in necessitous cases I was
empowered to supply it free of charge. This
was in 1895, and now in January, 1911, sixteen
years afterwards, notice is given that this free
distribution has been made compulsory, the test of
time and experience having fully confirmed the
inestimable value of this treatment.
Treatment with Anti-Toxin Serum.
The following Table is very instructive as to
the progressive value of anti-toxin treatment, and
is that recorded by the Edinburgh City Hospital.
It shows on a large, and, therefore, convincing
21