A Case of Acute Tuberculosis 
Treated with Dr. Paquin’s 
Antitubercle Serum. 
RECOVERY. 
BT 
J. R. LEMEN, M. D., 
ST. LOUIS, 
Professor of Physical Diagnosis and Therapeutics In 
the Mahon Sims College of Medicine. 
REPRINTED FROM THE 
Web) Yorft fttebfcal .Tournnl 
for September 21, 1895. Reprinted from the New York Medical Journal 
for September 21, 1895, 
A CASE OF ACUTE TUBERCULOSIS 
TREATED WITH DR. PAQUIN’S AXTITUBERCLE SERUM. 
RECOVERY. 
By J. R. LEMEM, M. D., 
ST. LOTUS, 
PROFESSOR OF PHYSICAL DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPEUTICS IN 
THE MARION SIMS COLLEGE OF MEDICINE. 
To the kindness of Dr. Lloyd Simpson, the attending 
physician, with whom I saw the case reported below a 
number of times in consultation, I am indebted for these 
full notes : 
R. C. G., aged sixty years, was attacked with la grippe 
March 17, 1895. Two days later, March 19th, I visited the 
patient in consultation with Dr. Simpson. We found pneu- 
monia of left lung, lower lobe ; the respirations twenty-six in 
a minute; temperature, 104-5° F.; urine, dark color, rather 
small quantity; specific gravity, 1 *025; and upon examination 
by microscope, blood and pus corpuscles were found. 
March 20th.—Dr. Simpson, Dr. Tuholske, and myself saw 
the patient. The pneumonic process had extended, the left 
lung being quite extensively involved; respirations, 30 in a 
minute; temperature, lOLS0. 
The pneumonia continued until the ninth day, the tem- 
perature ranging 103'5° in morning, 104-5° evening; the res- 
piration during the pneumonia ranging between 30 and 48 
in a minute. The temperature and respiration returned to 
Copyright, 1895, by D. Appleton and Company. 2 
ANTITUBERCLE SERUM IN ACUTE TUBERCULOSIS. 
normal in nine or ten days, the lung cleared up, and the pa- 
tient improved for some days, when the temperature com- 
menced to he irregular, falling below normal in the morning, 
97°, and rising from 101'5° to 102-5° in the evening. The 
cough returned so that the paroxysm became very severe, a 
tough, fibrinous sputum being expectorated. This later 
changed to frothy mucus. The area of dullness over the left 
lung again increased so that the dullness extended almost to 
the apex; night sweats were very severe, and the patient’s 
general condition was grave. Upon further consultation Dr. 
II. Tuholske, who was again called, together with Dr. Simp- 
son and myself saw the patient on April 19th, when tubercu- 
lar infection was suggested by Dr. Tuholske as the possible 
explanation of the symptoms present at that time. *A speci- 
men of sputum was preserved and examined by Dr. Ravold, 
the board of health microscopist, who reported a large num- 
ber of tubercle bacilli present, and the case was diagnosticated 
as one of acute tuberculosis. 
Upon report of this condition to the family they desired 
additional medical aid, and asked that Dr. P. G. Robinson 
meet us in consultation; and on April 22d, Dr. Robinson, 
Dr. Simpson, and myself saw the patient and substantially 
the same condition reported above was found—acute tubercu- 
losis—Dr. Robinson remarking that “ the outlook for the pa- 
tient’s recovery was very gloomy, hut that the treatment to 
be tried was the Paquin antitubercular serum, as suggested 
by Dr. Lemen,” so that the serum was commenced on this 
date, April 22d, and thirty drops given him, the temperature 
at this time being 102-5°. On April 23d another injection 
was given, the temperature falling to 100°. This treatment 
has been continued ever since. The temperature became 
normal on the fourth day of treatment, the cough improved, 
the patient slept much better, and has continued to improve. 
After taking serum for two weeks, however, there was a 
slight, painful swelling of the left ankle, which was supposed 
to be due to the serum. This continued for two weeks and 
then disappeared. 
May 10th.—The temperature of the patient rose daily to ANTITUBERCLE SERUM IN ACUTE TUBERCULOSIS. 
3 
100-5° for three days, and then became normal; this rise was 
ascribed to serum. The appetite has been good since im- 
provement began, and the patient has gained flesh, weighing at 
this time a hundred and eighty pounds, a gain of about forty 
pounds. On July 1st a specimen of sputum was given to Dr. 
Eavold, of the city hoard of health, who reported no ba- 
cilli. Again, on July 7th and July 12th, specimens were ex- 
amined by the same party, and no bacilli were found. 
Thus, taking the three examinations without finding 
bacilli, and the fact that the improvement of the patient 
has been so remarkable, it seems to me that the chances 
are that the bacilli have entirely disappeared, and, consid- 
ering the condition of the lungs, the fact that they have 
cleared, and that the patient is now getting plenty of air 
and is breathing well, I certainly think that the marked 
improvement must be due to the serum treatment, as I 
have never before seen a case of acute tuberculosis im- 
prove much under any treatment, and then only tempo- 
rarily, with the same termination, death, as the inevitable 
outcome of the struggle. 
I do not want to seem over-sanguine in regard to this 
treatment, but the results obtained in this case, and the 
benefit to three other patients that I have under my care, 
lead me to believe that much may be expected from 
serum therapy in the future. The NewYork Medical Journal. 
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