ANTI-TOXIN TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 31 January 1928, Page 3

ANTI-TOXIN TRAGEDY

POST MORTEM FAILS (Australian & N.Z. Cable Association BRISBANE. Jan. 30. A past mortem on the Torrens Creek poisoning victims, disclosed that death as due to gastric intestinal irritation, but at this stage it is not definitely known whether the trouble resulted from eating food, or came from some metallic source. Seven, not six others, were sent to the hospital, and all arc still in a serious condition. HOPE FOR RECOVERY. BRISBANE. Jan. 30. Every ho]x> is now held out for the recovery of tile remaining serum victims in Bundaberg. They are not yet out of danger, but no serious developments are expected unless unforeseen complications arise. DIPHTHERIA MORTALITY. MELBOURNE. Jan. 30.

A conference of the Federal Health Department, under the chairmanship of the Minister. Sir Neville Horse. at which Dr Oiimpston. Federal General of Health ami Director of the Commonwealth Scrum LalMirnboriort. was present, considered the Bundaberg tragedy. Sir Neville Hawse stated that it was extremely difficult to understand how the process which was used to treat many hundreds of thousands of children all over the world, and many thousands in the Commonwealth, without any sign of ill effects, could he altemled by such tragic results. Ife added that preliminary inquiries made it clear that the toxin and antitoxin mixture issued by the Department was of good quality, and free from any dangerous attributes. The inoculation of certain children at Bundaborg from the liottlo itself, without any harm, showed that after its arrival in Bundaberg it was .still in the same condition. Tt was clear that something had happened between the first and last inoculations. Everything was done by the authorities to determine what had actually happened. Dr Earle Page left for Bundaberg to investigate the position. In a statement. Dr Page said that, of every 135,000 children horn in Australia yearly. 500 died of diphtheria before reaching the school age, and though methods of sanitation and 1 the administration of anti-toxin had improved enormously in the last twenty years, and enabled thousands of eases to he saved, which previously would have died, the number of deaths from diphtheria at present was practically as great per thousand as if ever had been General treatment having failed to arrest the disease, attempts had lieen made to secure the immunity of the individual hv injecting a mixture of toxins and anti-toxins.

TRACK’ SCENES. (Received this day at 9.30 a.m). BRISBANE, Jan. 31. Details of the Jiuiulabei'g tragedy show pathetic scenes were witnessed at the hospital during Saturday when nurses and doctors wore working on the patients. Relatives remained in the hospital waiting for the latest tidings. WHOLE FAMILIES LOST. In the cases of the Robinsons and Bakers, the whole families were lost. Doctor Thompson, who gave the inject ions said the method of making all injections since the commencement was not changed. A week ago he inoculated his own son in the .same manner without any ill-cffect. FUNERALS OF VICTIMS Bundaberg never passe 1 such a grief stricken day as vesterdav. The whole cilv came to a standstill. Business houses and hotels closed their doors and people flocked to the eit\ lo pay their last rc.x|>ecLs to the innocent victims. Flags everywhere were haltmast. and all schools were closed. Women ami children wept in the streets and the .strong-hearted were deeply moved, as the tiny white coffins passed through the streets to the cemetery . In many cases, the Mayor, Aidermen and Slide Councillors acted as pall-bearers. Five children still in hospital are regarded as out of danger. CAUSE OF DEATH.

Dr Schmidt (Government ...Medical Officer) conducted a post-mortem examination. and in each case certified that death was due to acute toxaemia, following the injection of a toxin and anti-toxin mixture. MELBOURNE, Jan. 31. Serum is Kent, to all parts of Australia and New Zealand from the Federal Serum Laboratories at Royal Park', the output beifig about 5,200,000 units annually. Among the animals at the laboratories are horses, guinea, pigs, rabbits, rats and mice, but horses are used most in the production of serum, in addition to making antitoxin sera for treatment of diphtheria and tetanus.