The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1894-02-16
MAKING VACCINE VIRUS.
At the Virus Farm of the New York
Board of Health.


Board of Health.
Agriculture being for the most part
a rural occupation it seems rather
anomalous that city board of health
should have farm. It is still more
surprising to learn that this farm is
located in the depths of the metropolis,
where land is measured by feet instead
of acres. But this particular farm does
not consist of land. It's surface, as
might be expected of city farm, Is the
floor of building; and it is the upper
story of the building at that Its en-
tire area is comprised within four not
very expansive walls In short, to cas-
ual observation this paradoXical farm
seems to be merely long narrow room,
chiefly occupied by a row of stalls, in
which q dozen cows are very comfort
ably Sanctioned. An unimaginative
visitor might be disposed to deny that
it is farm at all. Nevertheless, it
merits the title; for here, despite the
dearth Of land, very unusual soil is
cultivated, and very peculiar crop is
produced. The crop, though valu-
able one and produced in abundance,
can be neither weighed nor measured.
The ''soil'' is small space on the back
of each of the cows.
The person who conducts this unique
establishment has taken degree at u
medical college, from which it may be
correctly inferred that this particular
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
rump, the operator proceeds to scarify
four spaces, each about two inches
square, on the shaved areas, and to rub
these abraded surfaces with an imple-
ment which looks like small bone
paper-cutter, but which is very appro-
priately termed a spade" This &C
complished, the first stage Of agricult-
ure-the sowing-is complete; for the
spade has conveyed to the soil the
''seed" from which the unique crop is
to develop. Speaking unagriculturally,
the cow has been vaccinated.
Nothing more is required on the part
of the operator for something over a
week, when, if all has gone well, an
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 it's surface with goose-quills
especially prepared for the purpose the
harvest is over. Sometimes as many as
twelve hundred quilts are thus charged
with virus from the back of a single
heifer. Each of these is subsequently
cut into four pieces, known as 'vaccln-
alton points" So the cow who has
loaned her back for this useful service
might reflect, were she given to such
advertisement, that she has become the
benefactor of some thousands of chill
en-, who, through her mediation and
that of the vaccinating corps of the
board of health, will be given immuni-
ty from smallpox. She might moral
ize, also, as she walks out of the farm
door and down the inclined plane that
leads back to the abattoir from which
she was borrowed for the occasion, on
the ingratitude of mankind in failing
to pension her for life in a pasture
after so signal service-but, fortu-
nately cows are not given to moraliz-
inp-HarperS Weekly.