ABORTIVE TREATMENT OF TYPHOID FEVER BY SENSITIZED TYPHOID VACCINE SEDIMENT

A historical survey of attempts at specific therapy in typhoid fever shows that two distinct eras may be arbitrarily noted. Beginning with the work of Fraenkel1(1893) until 1912, there were numerous reports on the somewhat favorable action produced by ordinary killed or even living typhoid vaccines. The results obtained by a number of observers in about 800 cases are by no means striking, but indicate that the subcutaneous injection of various typhoid vaccines would seem to shorten the course of the disease, to lessen the number of relapses and complications, decrease the mortality, and to lead to some symptomatic improvement. In a few instances, abortive cures have been mentioned, which apparently bear a relation to the injection of the vaccine; but such cases are known to occur without any specific treatment. In the last two or three years, certain modifications have been used in the vaccines and far