Little Falls transcript., 1886-07-09
PROTECTION FRc cgM RABIES

PROTECTION q FROM RABIES.
The Experiments Now Being Carried
f. 5 On In New York. l$*5
The experiments now being conduct
ed in the basement and yard Of Dr.. "a.
= Motr's Madison avenue house. says
The Neso York 1r1tbu,ae, are curious and
traught with danger to the experiment
ters, for they are not protected with in
Oculation as are the assistants of DR..
Pasteur, and no virus for counteract-
ing the poison is ready for application.
DIR. Mott brought over with him virus
and rabbits that had been inoculated
by Dir. Pasteur. OnsMay 10 the first
| rabbit died and the. spinal cord was
carefully removed and other rabbits in
oculated with the virus. The first ami
NAL inoculated in this country died on
Monday of last week, and half a dozen
have died since then, but unfortunately
for the boys awaiting treatment, it has
been impossible to secure regular Sc
quence Of deaths, which is necessary.
DIR. Pasteur found that in the human
being or animal dying Of rabies, the
virus was present in great abundance
IN the central nervous system, and es-
pecially in the medulla oblongata and
spinal cord. He also found that amin
ais inoculated with the virus taken
from the spinal cord became rabid
much more speedily and certainly than
when The saliva of the rabio dog was
employed. Therefore he employed only
the former plan in propagating the dis
ease for scientific purposes. Follow
ing out DR.. Pasteur's instructions, DR..
Valentine Mott procured large num-
Der of rabbits, and placed them
in pen on his fathers premises. The
spinal cord of the dead rabbit brought
over from Pasteur's laboratory was
carefully removed and the matter used
for the incubation of {, number of rab-
bits. The rabbits were trephined, and
a careful record of the date and all sub
sequent symptoms was kept On the
eighth day after the incubation the
first rabbit died, and others have fol-
lowed. After the death of each rabbit
the spinal cord was removed, suspend
ed in flask with rather large mouth,
and tightly plugged with sterilized cot
ton. The bottoms of these TASKS were
covered about one inch deep with
caustic potash to absorb all moisture
from the air. The room in which the
TASKS were placed was kept at a tenn
perature of 20 degrees centigrade. The
lower the temperature the longer the
v'rulence of the cords may be presery-
ed. To inoculate the next series of
animals piece of one of the cords was
rubbed up with small quantity of
chicken bouillon in small conical
glass, ana after the sediment had SET
tied to the bottom the clear fluid was
used for inoculation. In about seven
days the disease developed.
"A number of animals in various
stages of rabies are now in the doctors 5
back yard, but aside from enabling him
to continue experiments IN the hope of
eventually securing virus in sequence
OF ages for application to human be-
'ngs, success has not yet crowned his
efforts. 1t is necessary to conduct the
lnoculations through three series of
rabbits, thus reducing the period CT in
cubation in seven days. The spinal
cords are suspended in jars and are al
lowed to remain fifteen days.
"How long will it be before you are
ready to operate?' was asked of DR..
Valentine Mott.
II can't say was the answer. "As
yet I have been unable to produce 8
death day. 1t requires time to get a
sufficient number of animils subject to
the virus.''
Then you can't get ready this
week?"
mo. I can not undertake to inocu-
late human being until l have on
hand virus of the requisite age, with no
intervening days and with certainty
OF plenty more maturing while am
operating. 1t requires twenty DAYS for
the disease to show itself after person
is bitten by dog, and seven DAYS for
lnoculation to develop the disease in a
rabbit
''Do you regard incubation as a GER
tain preventive nf ra hieco,,
Eyes, if resorted to in time. How
long it protects is yet disputed ques-
tion."
us there danger in expcrimenting?"
"Very great danger. I never ap-
proach the diseased animals without
the greatest apprehension. I wear
gloves and never handle the cord, using
pincers. After securing the spinal mar
row boil the body to destroy the poison
and dispose of it.'
"When supply of virus is obtained
will you protect yourself and assistants
by inoculation?''
''Undoubtedly. That is the only wav
to be safe.''
"WlA you provide rooms in the new
institute for the care of patients?''
NO; that would require too large a
building, and would not be necessary.
Ihe public is not contributing and we
have to stand the whole expense. We
hope to build place adequate for our
purpose for about $4,000. It will coct
about $4,000 year to keep it going.
We make no charge for incubation.
and therefore the institutem must be SUM-
ported by contributions.