The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-03-15
MAKING BOVINE VIRUS.



How the Animals Are Treated at the New
York Vaccine Farm.
Few persons who pass the old two
story brick building, No. GIG 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
first floor of the building recently was
converted into stable for cattle that
are kept there to undergo vaccination.
A cleaner, warmer and better venii-
lated stable probably can not be found
in the city. Sixteen fat cows and Texan
steers stood in the stables the other
day when reporter entered the place.
DIR. Pardee, the virus expert, was at
work in his laboratory i'll the rear oi
the stable, while two assistants were
looking after the cattle. DR.. Pardee' 5
den is lavishly decorated with colOred
prints, and is occupied in his absence
bv white cat On the shelves are
glass jars containing goose quills and
points" of virus. A big table. on
which calves formerly were strapped
while undergoing treatment. occupies
part of the room, and there is a small
grindstone used for rOughening the
quills which are to receive the virus.
The manufacture of bovine virus for
the protection of human being against
smallpox has been going on under the
eye of DR.. Pardee for dozen years
or more Formerly he operated on
calves, but lately he became convinced
| that better virus could be obtained
from large cattle. and the Health
Board decided to give him new
farm" By 4 clever arrangement of
movable bars in the stalls 4 cow or a
steer is prevented from kicking while it
is being vaccinated in dozen or twenty
different places. The operation most
annoying to the animal comes later,
when the virus is being transferred
from it to the quill points. 1t is neces-
sary for the Health Board to buy the
cattle outright. feed them we'll while
undergoing treatment and for some
time afterward, and finally sell them to
butchers ut a loss.
The outlay for rent, feed, salaries.
cost of materials and losses in cattle
| trading amounts to about SlQ,1O0 Il
year. Part of the money comes back
through the sale of virus. Last wear
the department received s.. 259 for virus
sold to druggists and physicians. Prob
ably money could be made out of the
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 vaccirated free OF
charge by the sanitary inspectors, and
enough virus to vaccinate $4,000 more
persons was given away to public insti-
tutions. As druggists are charged
twenty-five cents for y single point y
the gratuitous vaccinations by the
Health Board on that basis last year
might be said to be worth nearly
$4,000.
The recent change from calves to
large cattle in the virus farm has been
attended with surprisingly good re-
Suits" said President Bayles. OF the
Health Board. "One inspector recently
vaccinated sixty-five children ir Il pub
lie institution with the new virus and
vaccination took in every case. Form
erly there we're frequent failures. and
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 far
as have heard. 1t rs alleged that dis
eases may be communicated to children
by humanized virus, but there is no
danger in using bovine virus. when
the virus is taken from sound cattle"
At present the virus farm" turns
out about 5000 points" a week. "
| Y. Tribune.