The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-03-10
MAKING BOVINE VIRUS.


no" the Animals Are Treated at the Now
York Vaccine Farm.
Few persons who pass the old two
Story brick building, No. 916 Second
avenue, which has decayed wooden
awning in front of it and bears the
sign, Steam Carpet Cleaning" are
aware that it shelters the Board of
Health's vaccine virus farm" The
nrst floor of the building recently was
converted into stable for cattle that
are kept there to undergo vaccination.
A cleaner, warmer and better venti-
lated stable probably can not be found
IN the city. Sixteen fat COWS and Texan
steers stood in the stables the other
Gay when a reporter entered the place.
Dr, Pardee, the virus expert, was at
work in his laboratory in the rear Of
the stable, while two assistants were
looking after the cattle. DR.. Pardees
den is lavishly decorated with colored
prints, and is occupied in his absence
by a white cat. On the shelves are
glass jars containing goose quilts and
points" of virus. A big table, on
which calves formerly We're strapped
while undergoing treatment, occupies
a part of the room, and there is small
grindstone used for roughening the
quilts which are to receive the virus.
The manufacture of bovine virus for
the protection of human being against
ssmall -pox has been going on under the
IspsoSIof DR.. Pardee for dozen years
f1 more. Formerly he operated or
talves, but lately he became convinced
that better virus could be obtained
fron large cattle, and the Health
Bosd decided to give him new
FAR" BY q clever arrangement Of
movale bars in the stalls COW or u
steer prevented from kicking while it
is beinsvaccinated in dozen or twenty
dltteren, places. The operation most
annoying to the animal comes later,
when the virus is being transferred
from it to he quill points. 1t is neces-
sary for thu Health Board to buy the
cattle outright, feed them well while
undergoing treatment and for some
time afterwah, and finally sell them to
butchers ut aloss.
The outlay for rent, feed, salaries,
cost OF materials and losses in cattle
trading amoums to about $4,000 u
year. Part Of the money comes back
through the sale of virus. Last wear
the department received 81, 239 for virus
sold to druggists and physicians. Prob
ably money could be made out of tho
farm if the Board of Health charged
a fair price for all the virus it could
dispose of, but the sanitary officials are
mainly interested in stopping small
pox. Last year nearly 10000 persons
in the city were yaccinatcd free OF
charge by the sanitary inspectors, and
enough virus to vaccinate 10000 more
persons was given away to public insti-
tutions. As druggists are charged
twenty-five cents for a single point, u
the gratutous vaccinations by the
Health Board on that basis last year
might be said to be worth nearly
/ $780, 900.
E'The recent change from calves to
~G-A,ge cattle in the virus farm has beer
Iattended with surprisingly good re
lsults," said President Bayles, of the
| Health Board. "One inspector recently
l(vaccinated sixty-five children it pub
/ lie institution with the new virus ant
vaccination took in every case. Form
erly there were frequent failures, an6
many children had to be vaccinated the
second time. The new virus is believed
to be as pure as any ever obtained. We
have had no complaints about it so fan
as | have heard. 1t is alleged that dis
eases may be communicated to children
by humanized virus, but there is nc
danger in using bovine virus. when
the virus is taken from sound cattle"
At present the virus farm" turns
out about 1000 points" a week. N
| Y Iribu11e.