Diphtherieepidemien der letzten Jahre, das Heilserum und die Schutzimpfung.

The author, professor of hygiene and director of the Institute for Research in Hygiene and Immunology, reports a study of epidemics of diphtheria which he made to determine the value of preventive immunization and the use of antitoxin. In the introduction he cautions against attributing to specific measures of prevention reduction in epidemics which may be due in part to political conditions resulting in better standards of hygiene. Curves are given showing the increase of diphtheria in recent years in European countries, where economic conditions since the World War have presumably adversely affected living conditions as contrasted with progressive lessening in the incidence of diphtheria in the more prosperous countries. There follows a discussion of the various methods for immunization against diphtheria, with numerous illustrations of the propaganda employed by health departments in this and other countries. The author believes that such extensive use of immunization against diphtheria is not