IMMEDIATE SERUM REACTIONS IN MAN

Abstract

Since Jan. 1, 1937 reports on the use of concentrated antipneumococcus serum have been submitted on a uniform record to the New York State Department of Health by physicians employing serums produced or purchased and distributed by the Division of Laboratories and Research.¹The questions on that form are concerned, so far as possible, with objective data, so that the effect of interpretation by the reporting physician is minimized. Through a follow-up system, complete reports were obtained in practically every case.² Early study of the material so collected brought to light a number of immediate reactions following intravenous serum therapy which were associated with severe circulatory collapse and which did not seem to be related to protein hypersensitivity in the usual sense. It was recognized that this impression was based on reports which had the disadvantage of containing second hand information of varying degrees of accuracy. In order