The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-09

out providing that q man could not GET
work or do business Of any kind unless
b vas vaecinafed. and that all the people
must come TO certain stations over the
island anc submit their arms TO De
scratched The penalties were such that
they came in norsses. and today doubt IL
there are q hundred unvaccinAted men.
women and children on the island.
The work was carried on largely by the
native doctors, under the direction OF our
surgeons, and thousands were treated In
a day In cases where the first vaccination
did not take. second vaccination was re-
auired. and. all told, the vaccinations must
have amounted to more than million
vaccinating Cattle for smallpox.
The supplying the vaccine matter for
this work was a serious undertaking. At
first vaccine points by the thousand were
imported from the United States. The long
sea voyage destroyed the virus and Maj.
Ames found that he would have to make
his own vaccine matter here.
For this reason he tried to vaccinate the
Porto Rican cattle. but the results at first
were unsatisfactory Our cattle when vac
cinated deve.op hlissers and sores just like
those which appear on the arms Of human
he,Egs when 40 inoculated. The matter
which oozes out from these sores Is put
upon the points used for vaccination OF
human beings. The Porto Riean cattle
when vaccinated formed hard round scabs
without pus. At first DIR. Ames thought
that the operation had been Of no effect.
BY squeezing the scabs, however. he dis
covered that they produced drops OF vac
cine matter. anc that from these he could
make the points required.
The next thing was to establish vaccine
farm. He did this near oamo Springs and
in few weeks had here the larges; vac
cine farm on record. He secured about
200 animals ranging from eight months
to one year old. The vaccination did not
injure the cattle. and the big stock dealers
of the island furnished them for nothing
on the simple condition that they were to
be returned In good order.
Each of the animals was first examined
10 see that II had no tuberculosis or other
diseases. Its temperature was taken again
and again. and II was given a place on
the government record. When vaccinated,
4 was numbered with a zinc tag and the
number of vaccine points which were made
from Il were marked to correspond with
this tag. so that an exact record of every
point could be had.
On Uncle SANS Vaccine Farm.
During my stay at Coamo Springs I
learned something of how the beasts were
vaccinated Each animal. after being test
ed and found free from disease. II brought
up beside folding table. the top of which
stdnuS against tue sue "a
the animal The beast is now tied to the
table and by twist the top is raised and
laid horizontally on the legs OF the table
with the beast on top Of IT,
Now the doctors shave all the hair from
place as big as your two hands on one
SIDE Of the belly, exposing the skin, which
| Is as soft and tender as that OF child.
This Is scraped for a time with a sharp
knife until the blood shows through the
skin and upon the sore spot the vaccine
matter IS rubbed. The animal is then
turned over and spot upon its other side
| is vaccinated in the same way.
1t is found that nearly all the animals
| take, and DR.. Ames tells me he has OBJ
tanned a. many as 1900 points from sin
| gle beast. One Of the queer things about
| the farm is the method Of Distinguishing
| the cattle vaccinated from cay to day.
Those which are treated one dag have
| their horns painted red. those OF the next
| day have their horns painted blue and
| those Of the third day yellow. In this way
] the groups can be easily distinguished and
| the vaccine matter gathered at just the
| right time.
| FRANK G CARPENTER.