A SYRINGE-TRANSMITTED EPIDEMIC OF INFECTIOUS HEPATITIS

Abstract

The danger of accidentally transmitting disease from one person to another by means of a common hypodermic syringe has generally been looked on as remote. This is particularly true when dealing with apparently healthy persons. In fact, until recently, syphilis and malaria were the only common infections which were known to be readily transmitted in this manner. With the widespread and frequent use of syringes in the modern practice of medicine, the demonstration that another disease, virus hepatitis, may be so transmitted becomes a matter of considerable importance. It has now been experimentally demonstrated that virus hepatitis, including both the infectious or epidemic and the homologous serum type, may be transmitted to human beings by the parenteral injection of infected serum.¹As little as 0.01 cc. of serum has been sufficient to produce the disease.²The filterable agent is present in the blood during botn the preicteric and