INTRAVENOUS INJECTION OF DIPHTHERIA ANTITOXIN IN CHILDREN

The benefits of the antitoxin treatment of diphtheria are well recognized. From 1878 to 1894 in New York City the deaths from diphtheria per hundred thousand of population ranged from 110 to 264 and from 1890 to 1895 the combined diphtheria deaths in the larger European and American cities from 66.9 to 80.4 per hundred thousand population, while following the general use of diphtheria antitoxin since 1895 the deaths per hundred thousand of population have varied in New York City between 22 and 91, and between 19 and 55.6 in the larger cities of the world. Diphtheria antitoxin was first used generally in 1895 and in 1896 first manifested its real value in the United States. Gradually fewer deaths from diphtheria have occurred, but it must be evident that in the past few years the death-rate has not been decreased materially. That we still have some deaths due to the