The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-04-04
GUINEA Pics ENOUGH.
Nov They AFRO Raised for E.rerisaen.a

q E--A- d
rEow They Arc Raised for Eseerisnentai
Purposes.
There iS not the least danger of q
acnrcity of guinea pigs, despite tho fact
fhat hundreds of them arc being sacri-
ficed daily on the altar of science. Tho
demand created by the extensive manu-
& facture of Koch's curative lymph has
not affected the local market in the
least. The harmless little animals are
wonderfully prolific, and two or three
healthy pair can easily furnish enough
subjects for small army of doctors to
experiment with.
The usual price, says the Philadelphia
Record, one dollar and fifty cents to two
dollars n pair, has undergone no in
crease, though Philadelphia dealers are
An constant receipt of inquiries from
producers in regard to the probability
of an excessive future demand. The
dealers, in turn, are giving close scru-
tiny to the matter of tuberculosis cure
jim order to give timely notice to pro-
nucers, but it is authoritatively stated
that, even in case of sudden increased
demand, the scarcity of the scientifcal-
~ important animals could not be Of
long duration. The guinea pigs Etters,
too, are usually large, and the general
oddity of the little creature shows itself
in the fact that an odd number of young
are always born ut time. Guinea pig
twins and bankruptcies are unheard of,
five small ones being the rule.
1t was with surprise that animal deal
crs learned of the discovery in patholo-
gy that the gentle rodent contains ele-
ments capable of successful warfare
with the rapacious bacillus tuberculosis,
and q seller of pets said that no one but
q genius could have dcduced from the
pymphatic temperament of the guinea
pig the fact that from it could be de-
rived lymph of sufficient activity to
D combat the micro-organisn of con-
sumption.
The guinea pigs sold in Philadelphia
nre of two varieties, the smooth haired
and the rough haired or Abyssinian
They are technically known as ''cavies, {"
and the smooth haired "cavy," being
cheaper, is usually found in the shops
land used for scientific purposes.
jefferson and the University medical
colleges dispose of fifty pairs each dur
ing the year, and they are the favorite
subjects of private vivisectors, who
timidly refrain from risking their fingers
lby handling rats and other low-down
gquadrupeds used in experimental medi-
lcine. The cavy farm has never been
run to its fullest capacity, which is de-
clared by the proprietors to be limited
only by the size of the barn used for
breeding purposes.
The pigs begin to breed at the age of
two months, and well-constructed pair
are capable of producing three litters q
year. Each succeeding litter is COM
posed of n larger number of young than
the preceding one, SO that it often hap
pens that n gray old pair will present
their owner with as many as eleven lit
tie ones at one litter.
The common CAVES are n product of
domestication, and it is said that their
wild relatives which swarm In Uruguay
and Brazil are vastly different from the
cultivated variety, and would be useless
for experimental purposes. The ut
tractive colors even of the guinea pig
are the result of interbrceding of diff
ferent wild varieties, and, until use was
made of the animal for scientific re-
search, were its only claim to interest.
Neither its flesh nor fur are put to use
Hiu n'.ehiPtS w uso Ihe oicHSlVc anu
dcfenselcss quadruped for bait in hunt
ing sports have always proved failures
The idea that the presence of the cavy
in house is sufficient to drive away
rats and mice lacks confirmation, and
belongs to the same class rs the story
that if n guinea pig be lifted by the tail
its eyes will fall out. The optical organs
of the creature appear protruding
enough to drop from their sockets on
slight provocation, but careful search
fails to reveal the presence of tail.