Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-03-01
MAKING VACCINE VIRUS.
AT the Virus Farm of the New York,
Board of Health!

Agriculture being for the most part
Il rural occupation, says Harper'S
Weekly, it seems rather anomalous that
a city board of health should have a
farm. It is more surprising to learn
that this farm is located in the depths
of the. metropolis, where land is meas
ucod by feet instead of acres. But this
particular farm does not consist of
land FITS surface, as might be expect
ed of a. city farm, is the floor of a
building; and it is the upper story
of the building at that. Its entire
area is comprised within four not very
expansive wallis. In short, TO casual
observation this paradoxical farm
seems to be merely a long narrow
room, chiefly occupied by a row of
stalls, in which a dozen cows are very
comfortably sanctioned. An unim-
aginatiye visitor might be disposed to
deny that it is a farm at all. Neverthe
less, it merits the title; for here, de-
spite the dearth of land, very unusual
soil is cultivated, and a very peculiar
crop is produced. The crop, though a
ance, can be neither weighed nor
measured. The 'soiI' is a small space
on the back of each of the cows.
The person who conducts this unique
establishment has taken degree at 6
medical college, from which it may be
correctly inferred that this peculiar
kind of farmer requires no little skill.
Yet the processes involved are SEEM
inglY rather simple. The hair having
been shaved from the sides of a cows
runp, the operator proceeds to scar
1fy four spaces, each about two inches
square, on the shaved areas, and to rub
these abraded surfaces with an nipple
ment which looks like small bone
paper cutter, but which is very appro-
priately termed spade" This accom-
plished, the first stage Of agriculture
the sowing-is complete; for the
spade" has conveyed to the soil the
seed" from which the unique crop
is to develop. Speaking agricult-
urally, the COW has been yaccinated.
Nothing more is required on the part
Of the operator for something over a
"SSA, WuSu, IL oil LAS gone We'll, all
abundant exudate of clear lymph will
be found on the abraded surfaces. This
lymph is pure vaccine virus, and it con-
stitutes the mature crop from this
virus farm. When it has been removed
by touching its surface with goose
quilts especially prepared fcr the pur-
pose the harvest is over Sometimes
as many as 1,200 quilts are thus
charged with virus from the back of
a single heifeF. Each Of these is sub
sequently cut into four pieces, known
as vaccination points" SO the cow
who has loaned her back for this use
full service might reflect, were she given
to such advertisement, that she has be-
come the benefactor of some thousands
Of children, who through her mediation
and that of the vaccinating crops of
the board Of health will be given i'm
mUn1ty from smallpox. She might
moralze, also, as she walks out of the
f&rm door and down the inclined plane
thai leads back to the abatoir from
which she was borrowed for the ecca-
sion, on the ingratitude Of mankind
IN failing to pension her for life in a
pasture after so signal a serYice-but
fortunately cows are not given to NOR
alizing.