Remarks on antitoxin, diphtheria, the practitioner, and history : A practical view of antitoxin and diphtheria in private practice ; Antitoxin, diphtheria, and statistics / by Adolph Rupp.

  • Rupp, Adolph, 1856-
Date:
1899
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Remarks on antitoxin, diphtheria, the practitioner, and history : A practical view of antitoxin and diphtheria in private practice ; Antitoxin, diphtheria, and statistics / by Adolph Rupp. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    REMARKS ON ANTITOXIN, DIPHTHERIA, THE PRACTITIONER, AND HISTORY. By ADOLPH RUPP, M.D., FORMERLY AURAL SURGEON TO THE NEW YORK EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY, ETC., NEW YORK. When diphtheria antitoxin was supposed to be ob- tainable in that degree of perfection which seemed to justify laboratory workers or scientists, in their own estimation, in proclaiming it a scientific product of sur- prisingly great curative value, it was forced rather than argued into the hands of practitioners. The force exerted was not that of legislative action, but that of public opinion. This opinion was created and devel- oped by the influential voices and pens of many prom- inent scientists and clinicians, and not the least by the lay or political press. The amount and extent of hopeful expectancy thus aroused generally among practitioners and the laity made it extremely impoli- tic for most practitioners to entertain, and much more so to practise, views and convictions of their own not in accord with the teachings of Behring and Roux and others. The jubilations of some practitioners amounted to—in some instances do so still—claims of infallibility for the remedy and their own individual wisdom. Those who did not and do not think and do as they think and do, they accused and accuse of dulness, even of crime. These enthusiasts always meant and mean well. Infallible people always mean well. Concerning the use of antitoxin as a remedy in individual cases of diphtheria, the practitioner has rights as well as duties to urge him on. It is not a