SLEEPY SICKNESS.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 August 1924, Page 4

SLEEPY SICKNESS.

c Al'sK AM) Li Hl'. LONDON, May Th It must he a great puzzle to the non-medical mind when then* is .such an ,'lento dilt'erenie of opinion between doctors ns to the entue of a disease SU c|, as encephalitis lethargica, some declaring positively the cause •is known, others that the causative microbe has never been isolated, says an I mmunisiitor in ttie “Daily Alwil. The explanation is this. Those will) do not believe that the microbe has been discoveled found their opinion on the lint that lvnih.s Laws of Pathogenicity have not been lullilled.

It ihert Koch laid down that in order to establish a microbe its being pathogenic that is, dixease-ipTodut'-ing firstly, it must Le isolated con-

snntly from | enple siiiiering from a neriiiidly, the microbe must he ia; able of producing the disease in an animal ; mil. thirdly, the mil robe must lie isolated again from the animal so infected.

Very few microbes satisfy Kolb's law jura n ii-nd es causing disease in one .jiimal either do not illicit another

iiuimal at all, or, il they do, i.eldom reproduce disease <:i the same kintl. Toe tub. i c!e bacillus, hath the human and the bovine type cf it, cause tnber--111 losi.-, in both human beings and certain animals and .-atis.y the law-, hut even 111 this case they do not produce in I. .hi,it, and guinea-] igs exactly the same form as in human beings, for the I r'ninuary loini ol tuberculosis canto he re’Tiiducod in all iis details in til- animals, hecaiise it is always a mixed infection with ether mieiokes in human beings and not in animals. ,0 that, for the majority of human inleetions other criteria of | athegeni--1 il v must he sought. 15 K ACTION. For instance, certain tests ran he a'lptied. Tubert id-ins .inlee.ticn Jnrnish'es again a good example. A cow may he infected w ith lid et'ctl lasts. hut the tissues infix ted arc not vital inc'aiix, and are not destroyed to such extent as to prodme symptoms ol illHi'ss, nor can the mi: rive he isolated from that animal without killing ite.-. if a joint i- infected. without operation on it. If in such an animal an antigen t.r vaccine of tile tubercle bacillus, coiiln.' :uly lulled tuberculin, is injected under the skin, the animal “reacts” liv getting a rise i f tein|cratuie and piiNc-rat", and increase ol inll.i.iiimalj,,n ;( | the site of infection, which inn he icadilv recognised in the tase of n joint. Kxperience has show n that all i uch int.tle so reacting to tuberculin have active 1 iibereidos's - that is. their tissue; are I cine destroyed by the tubercle bacillus. Moreover, il a series c suita'.’.e d;**:c -is continued, the animal ( :in Pe l ined. This is known as therapeutic iininiill i- it ion. 15ct.ict.ion after inuculat ion w ith the | reset iP-cd dosage of antigen (va i-ine'l made from a given mil ril c is ah-olutc evidence ol a patient being iidcctcd with the micrahc. SUUCFSSFUI. Tl 5 KAT.M KNT. This law, whii h is generally accepted in the case of tuhercolosis, has not been generally applied to the diagnosis of ether oils- lire infectious, hut it is just as significant in such cases, s > that in the case of sreh an intuition to the brain as cm cj br.litis Jelhaigiia. 01 sleepy sii knees, w here il is i|uite impossude ta i.solato the infecting microbe during life, if the infected | cr-

» m rer. t, after l!:c injection cl an antigen (vaccinei made from the influenza liiv iili's in stlilal le dosage, one |*i;; vs cl>soh".''!v t'liit that patient's til eiii i-. in'e ted w ith that pa: tii uliir ' micro'ie, although ihc inllueuza hacil lc- iam it !>l* isolated Ir.iiu it. The diagnosis is conliimcd if by a < ,nil's" of inoi illation with lies antigen live cose is rapidly cured, and slid fur. 1 1 ■ < —■ Ir • r:i:fl il by tins treat unlit 1.1 a nuniTicr el I a»i": the di at.ii-ratc is educed. A p.athu.t with encephalitis Icthargiia in my cxrari'n e always rcacts.tr an antigen of the intlccnza h.-c illns. and s-i IV". in my hands, the dcnlli1a I c in a small .e'ics of cases lai, been nil. And if 1 1hi v. I know o'/ i a!v inr ins l , a verv udvat;: ed one that Pail been ill a long time, in whi h the in-la-nl.it. •.in SII| j Til'd I v illv lab eatery failed to -live his li‘c. CONDITION') OK SI C ( !•»'. If. however, the iron t mem ol any infection i- to i .• i If 'ctivc. it is alisn lately o-- anted that the material Us"d for iti'ietila.; m is potent, i.tlterwi- e the IV'-tills may lie djsapjn iining. Km iustance'. <>iel ike many i—.uses of lailure of the f cat m-.'itt of inker, uIcsis. even when it is tin oni; lit at.'ll l. in 1 /- iiaii v. it'i nth: r inii r.-d es. is that th" anti'-" 11 e.s, il is iie;ot: nt. not emit.uiiiiug s■l Hi -i i!:<• toxin ol the m. clie I a v hi- hit i sar.tial lei the Imdv t•• make anl : -t:ixin if the )aticnf i-> ii> n*;*oVi'r. II a. mil rr ka is grown for many goiir.'ilians ell artificial c.ih a i •.-media. it rapi'llv lii-cs these toxins li.v which it i- enabled le sinviie in the patient's licdv. and 11 hi - ;T| in*! 1 1 ly the antigen made from it is eomp-aralively u-eli-ss. while if il has h;cn recently isolated yml grown ell a cultare-mcdiiim which 1 1j'lnnla to- ii to maintain its |iroduct i-hi el toxin sin Ii as a culture-medium inuiaming unhealed blood, the antigen made from it is very potent, and if the proper dosage is ir-oil and the doses me given at pinper intervals the best lesiills may be cxjiecietl and are fiblaiucil.

I emphasise this question of the quality ol the antigen because I fear that, owing to antigen- not being standard-i-cd. ilie t..-• of an important antigen in giving di.*a jip iiuling results will lead to wrong coiHnsions and • w d ,'tbt on i •inclusions as to the can e and i tire of sleepy sickn.--.-s ol which I am absolutely convinced.