The evening times., 1899-06-21
Experiments in the New York
Health Office laboratory.
Investigation Begun Before Sana-
relli Reported His Researches.
Description of the Tests Made by DIR.
DOty-Serum Being Prepared
for Use In Havana.


been in progress for some time in the lab
oratory OF the health office of this port
The micro organism OF yellow fever, which
was discovered by Giuseppe Sanarelll
in 1897, has been isolated and a serum pre-
pared which in careful tests with animals
has been demonstrated to possess both Gu
rative and preventive properties.
So important is the matter and SO greal
a degree of success has attended the ex-
officer Of the port, made formal an
nouncement yesterday Of what had been
accomplished.
| While DR.. Dotys experiments have nee
essarily been confined to animals. he has
no hesitation in recommending the use oi
the serum for human beings, AID is now
preparing some which he will send to
Havana for use by the authorities there.
! DR.. Dotys experiments have been most
thorough. They were begun before Sa-
| narelli announced, in 1897. that he had iso-
lated the yellow fever germ and produced
the serum.
| Horses and guinea pigs have been used
here, as experience with antitoxin and
other remedies has shown the results
with animals are similar to those obtained
/ with human beings. DIR. Doty looks for a
| successful result OF the tests which will
| be made in Havana.
| His statement concerning his work is:
| Tests recently made in the laboratory
of this department have for the first time
| shown that the yellow fever serum pre-
| pared here has both curative and preven-
| tive properties.
| The investigation as to the cause of
yellow fever was begun at Quarantine in
the spring of 1897. some r1onths before
| Prof. Sanarelli. of Montevideo, published
| the result OF his experimental work In this
direction, in which he claimed that he had
| isolated the specific organism of yellow fe
yer. His conclusions were accepted with
| considerable reluctance by bacteriologists.
| inasmuch as similar claims had been made
| by other investigators which could not be
| verified. However. Sanarellis enviable
| reputation as a bacteriologist and the care
and thoroughness with which his investi-
| cations were conducted gained for his
work respect and careful consideration.
| In the spring of 1897 a number of cases
of yellow fever were brought to this port
and transferred to Swinsburne Island. Au-
| topsies made at this time furnished an op-
| portunity to test the value of Sanarelli's
| work. An organism was soon found which
proved to be identical with that described
by this investigator.
| About this period l received from him
! a culture Of the alleged yellow fever germ
| which made ii possible to compare ii with
| the organism isolated al our laboratory
and it was found that they were practical
| ly the same. In Sanarelli $ paper describ-
| ing his experiments he states that he pro-
| duced by inoculation with the yellow fe-
| yer germ yellow fever in number of per
| sons who were turned over to him for
I HI
Il am informed by one OF his assistants,
who has recently visited the laboratory of
| this department in charge Of DR.. Charles
B. Fitzpatrick, that the persons referred u
by Sanarelli were inmates OF an insane
asylum and regarded as incurable cases.
Without discussing the propriety OF such
an act on the part of those in charge of the
institution referred 20. 1t will be fully sp-
preciated that an experiment of this kind
is invaluable.
After Sanarelli had isolated what he
regarded as the specific organism of yell
low fever. he inoculated animals with the
culture of the same. and claimed TO have
succeeded in obtaining serum which
cured yellow fever both in men and ami
mails.
The work of immuniZing animals 10
obtain the serum above described was be-
gun at this station in January. 1895. Two
good sound horses were selected for the
purpose. After ten months continuous
work serum was obtained which showed
a slight therapeutic effect For example.
if given number of guinea pigs were in
ocuiated with the germ and half OF the
number afterward injected with the serum
the latter would remain alive three or four
days longer than the rest. The succeeding
experiments varied until May .. when a
serum was obtained which yielded very
satisfactory results.
Fourteen cubic centimetres of the Sc
rum when injected into an animal which
had Just been inoculated with fatal dose
of the germ of yellow fever preserved its
life. and 1t remained perfectly well and
healthy. whereas If 1t had not received the
serum it would have died. This was prov
en- by the death Of all the other animals
which were injected at the same time with
the germ OF yellow fever but were not in
jected with the serum. small dose Of
the serum, 10 cubic centimetres, succeeded
in preventing the infection of an animal
which was twentyfour hours afterward
inoculated with the fatal dose of the germ
of yellow fever.
"Other guinea pigs which were inocu-
lated at the same time and had previously
received no serum treatment died. Expert
ments made with serum obtained on June
The serum which we have obtained in this
laboratory is fully equal to. if not more de-
cided in its results than the serum OBJ
tanned by Saparelli and which has been
forwarded to me from Moptevideo.
THE important work Of which l have
Just given an outline would indicate, first.
that Sanareili was correct in his conclu-
sions; that he had found and isolated the
specific organism Of yellow fever. and that
the serum which has been obtained both
by Sanarelli and the health department Of
the State of New York has both curative
and preventive properties, at least in ami
mails.
Its effect on the human being is yet to
be seen. However. l am looking forward
to the most favorable results. While in
Havana last March l made arrangements
with my representative there to be pre-
pared to use the serum in cases which
would probably come under his personal
care. provided the experiments here JUS
titled me in forwarding some of 1t to him.
A supply Of the serum is now being pre-
pared for this purpose and will be sent to
Havana in a few days. 1t is harmless,
and I have no hesitation in urgently
recommending its use"
Prof Sanareili conducted his expert
ments in Uruguay and in Brazil. He has
recently returned to Europe and is now In
Italy. On leaving Brazil he said that by
the use Of the serum for yellow fever he
had succeeded in reducing the mortality
in the town of San Carlo de Pinhal from
81 to % per cent. The town was one of
the worst infected in Brazil
Prof. Giuseppe Sanarelli. the discoverer
Of the yellow fever germ, is only thirty
five years old. He studied in Pania. Italy,
and then in Munich. and finished under
Pasteur in Paris. He was asked by the