Abstract
As a result of several accidents reported as being due to intraspinal administration of antimeningococcus serum containing trikresol, a number of tests were made on dogs to determine if possible whether the fatal results were due to the influence of trikresol in the serum, to the serum per se, or whether they were due to pressure.
The records were taken with the kymograph, the pressure being taken at the carotid artery. The injections were made into the vertebral artery, the femoral artery and vein, the carotid artery and into the spinal canal.
The results which are somewhat contradictory, were as follows:
An antimeningococcus serum which had produced rashes and other disturbances in patients, caused well-marked depressions in 6.5 c.c. doses. Preservatives were chloroform and 0.4 per cent trikresol. The injections were made into the femoral vein. A whole antipneumococcus serum preserved with chloroform tested in the same way produced death. 1
Experiments (by F. and A.) with antimeningococcus serum to which was added varying quantities of trikresol (from .I per cent to .4 per cent) gave no deleterious results when first mixed, but after standing one week in some cases depressions were obtained.
An injection of 2 C.C. of antimeningococcus serum prepared 19 days before the experiment by the addition of .4 per cent trikresol was made into the vertebral artery. A marked depression resulted. Six C.C. of this serum also injected into the vertebral artery caused immediate clotting and were followed by a convulsion with almost complete cessation of respiration.
Further experiments carried out (by F., A. and 2.) on six dogs gave the following results:
I. As a rule, there was apparently no marked disturbance of blood pressure in normal dogs immediately after the lumbar subdural administration 2 by gravity or careful gentle pressure of moderate doses of antimeningococcus sera containing .3 per cent trikresol.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.