The record-union., 1895-03-23
PREPARING TO FIGHT DIPHTHERIA.
The State Board of Health Going at it
in Earnest.
How the Anti-Toxine. the Foe of That
Deadly Disease, is Pre-
pared for Use.

The State Board of Health has lost no
time in getting at work with the $4,000
allowed it by the Legislature to prepare
the new diphtheria remedy, anti-toXine,
for general distribution. The toXine IS
to be of home manufacture, too. IL Will
be made by the new veterinary depart
ment of the State University, under the
direction of the board, and the general
plan of what is TO be done is already for
mulated DIR. Winslow Anderson, Vice
President and San Francisco member OF
the board, will be most directly con-
cerned in the management OF the enter
prise, and he thus explains what is to be
done.
It requires some time to make anti
toxine, and the board has first ordered
supply of ready made anti-toXine from
the East, as a precaution for the benefit
of the State. Several dozen vials will be
here in week or two, and will be di-
vided among the members of the State
Board OF Health for distribution in their
respective regions when the need arises
1t will be given away, so that the ilie-sav-
ing remedy will cost the poorest moth
ing, unless the attending physician adds
charge for giving 1t.
The $4,000 for two years is very small
fund, but most of the work Will cost
nothing, and this manufacture on large
scale is not necessary for California. The
Legislature simply substituted the money
for anti-tOXine that was paid for lawyer
for the board, and would not give any
more.
DR.. Anderson says that it will save
thousands OF lives in California in time,
and in ten years it ought to stamp out the
disease.
California is the first State in the Union
to take up the manufacture and giving
away of the new diphtheria cure. In New
ork 1t is being done by the city, which
appropriated $4,000 for the Board OF
Health there.
The first actual step in preparing for
the work Of making anti-toXine has been
done. The board has under way from
both Or. Behring's laboratory in Ger
many and Or. RouX's in Paris supply
of the pure toxine culture. This stuff is
not the remedy, but the pure diphtheria
poison itself 1t is both the Lotller's ba-
CilE, the cause Of diphtheria, and the
tOXInes or the poison they produce. These
cultures have been tested there in guinea
pigs, and are warranted to produce first
class diphtneria, and to be absolutely free
from any other microbes. This poison is
To be used IN giving diphtheria, and moth
ing else, to the horse from whose blood
the anti-tOXine will be taken.
The French and German cultures will
be kept distinct for experiment. There
VIII be dozen little tubes full OF diph-
liberia from each place, and there will be
enough TO use on four horses.
The next thing, according to DR.. An
dersOn'S plans, Will be to buy three or
four healthy horses in the prime OF young
lie, and the veterinary professors will be
competent to pick out sound animals.
ln.,E,
That Will I've a model stable from hy-
genie standpoint 1t will probably be in
some convenient suburban place. DR..
Bowhiil, dean Of the college faculty, Will
he the chief actual worker and superin-
tendent OF processes.
Nho the stable, horses and toxines are
ready the horses Will be lnOCulated with
the poison in a weak or attenualed form.
In the horses blood the natural process
OF nature recently discovered will begin
at once. The horses blood will begin to
develop the resistant property called anti
tOXlne. In a short time stronger iniec-
ton of poison Will be given and the anti
toXine will develop more strength. The
process will be repeated for three or four
months. when the e'slblood will resist
any quantity OF LOttler's bacteria and
their poisons. The horse will be i'm
mune," and his blood viii have developed
its highest power of immunity. The
fortified blood. y little of this blood
will at once do the same work in the
human system.
Ii took six months to work a horses
blood up to this effective degree a few
months ago Now it is done in four
months.
All this time the horse viii be cared for
as If he were another Ormonde. In fact,
the care and support of the horses will
be the most expensive thing in the whole
process. When The time comes DR.. Bow
hill, watched and helped with interest by
lot Of doctors and professors, Will draw
between one and two quarts OF blood
from the horses neck and take it 10 the
laboratory of the college at Post and Fill
more streets. When the blood coagulates
the white serum will De drawn OFT, care
Iully protected from contamination by
bacteria OF all kinds. This fluid part of
the blood will be the anti-toxIne without
further preparation except the putting OF
II in sterlllZed bottles and possibly ad-
ding a very little harmless preventive
fluid. 1t Will be ready for injection into
the human being.
There will really be much to be care
fully done, however. In the first place
1t will be tested on guinea pigs. Then,
for practical use, it will be diluted or
attentuated TO different strengths, meas
ured by units of immunity" 1t will be
examined and worked with more or less
Win powerful microscopes and il Will
be put mp in little steriliZed walls
When the horse has given up a half
gallon or so Of his blood for humanity he
viii be weak, but with good board he
viii soon be all right, aud if everything
has worked well he viii be sold for nearly
as much as he cost.
Il expect that we shall be ready to
make the first inOculation in about four
weeks" said DR.. Anderson. I'VE pro-
DOSE 10 give awaV the anti-tOXiDa that rba
poorest may have the benefit of it. We
decided that a scientific veterinarian was
The one 10 do this work, 1t also requires
an expert bacteriOlogist, and DIR. Bow
hill, the dean OF the faculty, is such a
man."
ALL the Pinkertons in the land could
not detect q llaw IN DR.. Price's Bakiug