CURE FOR DIPHTHERIA.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 11342, 2 October 1888, Page 3

CURE FOR DIPHTHERIA.

, i - • . TO THE EDITOR. | ; Sib —You ate somehow astray in stating we -had fallen Victims to diphtheria and had , olosed our school iv consequence. It is ' ungenerous to credit us with so many evils; . besides, we,may yet.break out in an ugly place before the year leaves us. For the '.". sake of those among whom the epidemic ■lias gained a footing, it may prove of value to call attention . to a specific whioh is establishing itself in various directions with -encouraging success.' Tou may give it publicity or not at your discretion. —A . few years ago Professor Klebj of Prague • discovered in the benzoate. of. soda the best „-antiseptic than known in all infectious i: diseases. In cases of diphtheria he claimed i that a dose of from 30 to 45 grammes to a ,fvfoll,grpwn'»man would render the poison '-'; i inoperative. The profession do not appear : I to have been'favourably impressed with the r idea at.the time. Becently, however, M. '„ Marcel Lavigne, of Mentone, in theßiviera, i announces that ho haß come to regard the >. ', benzoate as. a great blessing, and is now able to rely upon it with complete confidence in combating this disease... His testimony i. \. has since been added to by well authenti)i cated reports from Besina Fcrenga and ■v.,s Milan, and by f)rß. Fregier, of Shanghai, 's\vho speaks of it as having worked wonders ' .at the French"hospital there. All agree in ! expressing- themselves as oharmed with its V powerful action. According to them it , a would appear that large doses are not as a . rule absolutely required, very, good results having followed the administration of about 10grammes daily. The benzoateis prepared by dissolving crystallised bensoio acid in >- x water, neutralising at a slight heat with a s -stlution of caustic soda,, drying, and then allowing the (i solution to crystallize oyer sulphuric aoid tinder abell glass.—lam, &c. <-»•■'-' ' '','.•' ..•,', • Matarawa.