The Irish standard., 1888-06-02
VACCINATION POINTS.
How Bovine Virus Is Obtained on
a. Vaccine Farm.

a Vaccine Farm.
Tho Process by Which 10000 Points Ara
Turned Out Daily and Sent to an Equal
Number of People Who Want to
| Have Sore Arms.
The demand for vaccination "points,'
| the little ivory scalpels charged with vac
cine virus that are the potent modern in
strunents Of prevention Of smallpox, has
increased with great rapidity of late, writes
Philadelphia Press correspondent from
Marietta, Pa. The largest ''bovine" vac
cine farm in the State, as well as the largest
III the United States, is situated here, and
it will be interesting to the many folk with
sore arms in the Quaker City to know how
the virus which is now being introduced
I into thousands Of their systems every day
| is prepared.
The vaccine farm here is conducted by an
experienced and skillful physician. The
virus with which the heifers are inoculated,
and from which comes the material most
used in Philadelphia, all originated from a
spontaneous case of "cow-poxn discovered
near here in February, 1885, The diagnosis
was confirmed at that time by eminent
/ Philadelphia physicians and the material
since obtained from it has been pronounced
by English physicians superior to any in
that country.
a visit Of inspection was paid to the vac
cine farm which is now turning out every
day between $4,000 and 10000 "points ~
which means the same number Of vaccina-
tons. There is 80 much public miseoncep-
tion as to the method OF obtaining the virus
which. ever since Jenner's discovery, has
; haan thp anti nf q drnaTpH
plague and a brief account OF the processes
| followed on the farm will be of general in
terest.
The heifer, young and clean-llmbed, gen.
tle-eyed and innocent of all knowledge Of
either science or disease, is hired of the
farmer who is raising her. The animals
pedigree is known for generations back and
| the crops in which she and her forbears
have fed are the richest in the State. The
heifer is carefully Led into a wagon specially
designed for her transportation and wheeled
as delicately as a. child in Il baby carriage to
the vaccine farm. There she is unloaded,
! led into q sweet stall, washed all over Until
every hair is as clean as soap and warm
water can make it, curried frequently, and
fed for several days On carefully prepared
bran and niddlings. When ner skin is as
soft and her hair as silky as q kittens, and
when nature gives every Indication that her
health is perfect, the heifer is led to the
| operating groom.
| Meekly she follows her leaders, rudy
checked sons Of lororlzed farmers. soon to
become animal surgeons. Calmly, but with
wondering eyes, she suffers herself to be
led to the side of so-called table,"
frame-w work supported by four-legs. Pretty
heifer's eyes s:rotY little anxious as a v
shaped wooden crib is lowered upon her
back and three broad leather straps, fast
ened to the crib, are passed under her belly
and tightly bucklcd. Perhaps she wonders
whether she is to turn horse and carry this
strange saddle; but her wonder, whatever
it may be- changes TO fright when with the
! turning ct IL vindlass she is lifted OF her
feet, turns upside down in the air and is
swung in this position gently to the cperat-
| in g-table Here her head and neck are
firmly strapped to a padded pillow, her feet
are bound to strong uprights and her tail
tied to one oil the legs Of the table. Poor
! bossy can not move Ia limb. Fer gentle
! eyes roll upward in fright and she tgiches
| the muscles Of ter silky chest with nervous
apprehension.
| One of the men at the foot Of the table
SEXES q basin Of warm water and some soap,
aud carefully washes the inside of the
thighs Of the PROSTATE beast This thor
oughly done, with a sharp razor the hair is
| shaved from a surface about six inches
[ wide and two feet long, exposing a velvety
skin. This skin is again thoroughly washed
and dried, and then one of the attendants
slaps it with his hand until the surface
grows as scarlet as an autumn leaf. The
purpose Of this "spanking'' is to stimulate
| the local circulation.
;- 41,as NTH
large lancet tie operator scrapes the tender
skin on each leg in SIX or seven places,
leaving spots three times as big as dollar,
from which tie epithslamium has been re-
moved The spots look red as blood, but the
| patient heifcr seems not to suffer. Their. a
large ivory s'point'' ten times az big as is
| used in human patient and heavily
charged with virus is rubbed over each
SPOT until the serum of the blood is brought
to the surface and thoroughly MINIS led with
| the virus. The heifer is now inoculated
with scow-pox - and is led away without
exposure to the outer air to q clean, sweet
smelling stable, where she takes her place
in a long row Of other patients. Here she
is watched night and day aud receives as
much attention as q sick Emperor might
exact at the end Of eight days the disease
has reached it's heigth and the "cow-pox"
virus has accumulated under the scabs
which nature has formed over the places of
incubation.
When the proper moment has arrived the
heller is again placed on ar operating table
in a room as light and clean as parlor,
from which every particle OF dust is ex-
Guided. There the covering of sore is re-
moved and the opening sponged carefully
out. The next moment clear, fresh virus
exudes from the bottom of the spot. This
is taken on delicate brush and applied to
the fine ivory points, with which almost
every one who lives in q modern city is
familiar The wounds upon one heifer fur
nish virus enough to charge from five hun
dred to two thousand Of these 'points."
This operation over the heiferis led away,
carefully attended, and soon RECEIVERS per
feet health. The "points" when dried,
are packed by neat-handed girls in the glass
cases, which may be seen in every drug
store. They are shipped to every country
in Europe, large quantities being sent to
England, as we'll as to China and India.
II Ruined Him.