Über die Heilung der Diphtherie (1894)

Summary

Emil von Behring's 1894 monograph "Über die Heilung der Diphtherie" presents his central thesis that diphtheria can be cured by injecting serum from animals immunized against the disease, specifically using antitoxin antibodies. The book details his experimental method: he injected diphtheria toxin into horses, collected their blood after immunity developed, and isolated the serum containing neutralizing antibodies. Behring demonstrates that this serum, when administered to infected humans, neutralizes the bacterial toxin and dramatically reduces mortality. He provides clinical case data showing survival rates improved from near-certain death to over 75% recovery. The work also discusses dosage, timing of treatment, and the importance of early intervention. A reader takes away the foundational proof that passive immunization—transferring antibodies from an immune donor—can treat an acute infectious disease, establishing serotherapy as a medical breakthrough.

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Key concepts

• Antitoxin — An antibody produced in response to a toxin that neutralizes its harmful effects when transferred to another organism.
• Passive immunization — The direct administration of pre-formed antibodies from an immune donor to a susceptible recipient for immediate protection or treatment.
• Diphtheria toxin — The exotoxin secreted by *Corynebacterium diphtheriae* that causes the systemic symptoms of diphtheria, including myocarditis and neuropathy.
• Serum therapy — The medical use of blood serum containing antibodies from immunized animals to treat or prevent infectious diseases.
• Toxin-antitoxin neutralization — The chemical reaction where antitoxin binds to toxin molecules, preventing them from attaching to and damaging host cells.
• Horse immunization protocol — The method of gradually increasing doses of diphtheria toxin injected into horses to induce high levels of antitoxin in their blood without killing them.