Scarlet fever serum

rdf:langString Scarlet fever serum

rdf:langString Scarlet fever serum was used beginning in November 1900 after its development in the Sero-Therapeutic Laboratory of Rudolph Hospitalin Vienna, Austria. The serum was taken from the blood of horses. Infected children were injected in their abdominal skin by Dr. Paul Moser.Mortality rates from scarlet fever (also known as scarlatina) declined significantly following the use of the blood serum. Moser at first used scarlet fever serum primarily on the most severely sick persons. After achieving positive results it was applied in the first or second day following contraction of scarlet fever. In many cases the children treated demonstrated great improvement in a very short time, with their fevers going away quickly. Moser worked with four hundred children suffering from scarlatina at St. Anne's Hospital. The mortality rate of those he treated was 8.9%. This compared quite favorably when measured against the 13.09% among children in Vienna hospitals where thescarlet fever serum was not administered. Moser's antitoxin reduced the mortality of scarlet fever by 40%. At no time was the volume of serum available sufficient. As of November 1902 a strong concentrated scarlet fever serum was unavailable.