Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-08-26
AN AMERICAN PASTEUR.
Doctor Mott and His Work In
New York City.

on Twcnty-siNth street, near Fir.t
avenue. are two room, at present de-
voted to most interesting scientific
experiment. The lior'd. which pcnc.
tratcs so many curious corners Of the
earth. has cleaned few secrets from
these rooms, which are worthy of pub
lie attention. On entering the little
chamber to the right of the hallway
the observer meets sight which i I'M
tcrCsting, but not, on the surface, cspc-
cially significant. Min, rabbits in
roomy cages arr ranged against the
walls. On close inspection the little
animals are found TO be- in ,trikingly
varied condition, of physical health.
Some are active and apparently in
good spirits. Others seemed weighed
down by a secret grief, while others
still are in state Of actual collapse.
On Thursday morning one Of the
cages contained a rabbit. stiff and thin
and dead. Cruel as il may seem, the
latter fac: pleased the presiding genius
OF the place. The rabbit had died &C.
cording 10 the date booked for 10, de-
mise In the bodic. Of these "buunics'
flows the precious poison granted DE-.
Valentine Mott by the famous Pastcur
of France. From dead rabbit 10 live
rabbit has been transmitted the yiru,
introduced by Pa>,cur on the t'h OF
last May into the brain OF rabbit
which DR.. Mott brought with him from
Paris to this country. For nearly two
months now rabbit, have been perish
ing week by week that the new word
might at length have PS>'cur cure at
it, own door The ohiect is at length
attained, and the perseverance, cour-
age, skill and devotion of DR.. Mott are
about to reap their reward.
Let Us spend morning with him
aud bi- assistant. DR. +. \. Baldwin,
in thcir laboratory. and learn some Of
The mysteries OF their methods. a new
rabbit is inoculatcd every day from
virus taken from The dead body OF the
rabbit most recently deceased, The
two animals. then. which attract the
closest attention. are the poisoned vic-
tim in the last cage and the bright
eyed. fat, and lively rabbit whose brain
is so soon TO receive the death potion.
The dead rabbit. taken from the cage.
is placed on the di,>ccting table. DIR.
Mott. with his hands incascd in rub
Der gloves, prepares for his dangerous
task. \ slip of the knife at critical
moment ght mean death. The dead
rabbit to-day happens TO be remarkably
long aud terribly cmaciated. The
sharp knife runs down it, back and
soon the spinal column appears IN all
it, bony irrcSularity. Scissors, knives,
and hard work at length display the
brain. and the spinal cord comes forth
looking like piece of macaroni
sprinkled with blood. II has been re-
Gently claimed that all that the Pasteur
virus produces in an animal is cerebral
meningitis. 1t is very evident that the
rabbits brain and spinal cord now be-
fore Us show not the slightest evidence
of meningitis. Even n layman can
see that. And yet the rabbit died of
Pasteur's virus. II the poor thing did
not perish Of hydrophobia it is very
certain that IL was not killed by menin-
gifts.
So much for the sSeptics. Now what
shall we do next? We have bloody
carcass. rather soiled medulla obloh-
gata. two pieces of spinal cord. and a
live and healthy rabbit. The last named,
II consulted, would doubtless say Boy
colt the whole thing" But science
demands sacrifices and the feelings
of few rabbits are OF no account. In
the frs. place we will place the
medulls and the spinal cord in separate
sterilizcd cups and proceed to clear
away the debris. The carcass of the
dead rabbit and all the instruments
inst used are taken into little room
nj the end of the hall and boiled, not
for nutritive purposes. "but as an evil
dcnco Of good faith" 1t isn't safe to
have hydrophobia germs floating about
at their own free viii.
We will now prepare the virus Tor
the next victim. This is a delicate op.
Grafton and takes some time. a small
portion Of the mcdulla oblongata is
placed in cup and treated with steril-
ized veal broth. Why veal broth V