The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-22
THE VAGINA GERM.
Its Discovery Makes Possible Ideal
Vaccination From Pure Cultures.

Vaccination From Pure Cultures.
From the London Daily Chronicle.
II was stated yesterday that Mr.. Stan
ley Kent of 81. Thomas Hospital had SUE
ceeded in discovering che specific organ
ism upon which vaccinia depends.
This perhaps does not convey very much
to the ordinary reader. What, he may
fairly ask, is the vaccinia germ? Well, il
is the germ with which you are inocuiated
when you are vaccinated When that
operation takes place. the incubation is
not of the actual smallpox germ, as
many people suppose, but of the vaccnia
germ. And how does this effect the mat
ter? the man in the street viii ask. To
answer this question a little depression is
necessary. It was in 1891 that Mr.. Cope
man discovered the method of purifying
vaccine lymph by means of glycerine. This
was the discovery of which Mr. Chaplin.
speaking to his brief, made so much dur
ing the debate last session on the vac
cination act OF course, there is not the
least doubt that glycerinated lymph
properly prepared, eliminates to a great
extent the danger of infection which or
binary lymph might convey; but 1t Is not
perfect Indeed. experts from Germany
and other continental countries in when
for years past, have visited the govern
ment vaccine establishment in England
and have been much struck by the results
obtained by incubation with ordinary calf
lymph and even the arm to arm vaccina-
ton. which has hitherto been used in the
remoter parts OF the country.
l was fortunate writes a Chronicle cor
respondenO In finding Mr.. Stanley Kent
yesterday and in learning from his own
lips what his discovery actually means.
Tell me- l said, lin popular language.
its value?"
Well" he replied, at Is, OF course.
somewhat difficult to say, without using
scientific terms, exactly what my discov-
cry does mean. l will try. Up to the
present the specific germ. the virus of vac
cinia which Is the disease produced by
vaccination, and which protects from
smallpox, has not until now been discov-
cred
And you have discovered It,"
Yes. l have been engaged in making
experiments since 1893. In 1894 / published
a paper in which l described a peculiar
minute bacillus in the tissues Of animals
suffering from vaccinia, but in the abb
sence of pure cultures there was no proof
that it was absolutely specific TO the dis
ease"
Yes" I said, but this won't do for
the ordinary newspaper reader. What,
for instance, is pure culture2"
We'll" said Mr.. Kent IL will explain.
First of all. you must find an organism
in the tissues of a diseased animal. Sec
ond, you must be able to cultivate It; that
means that you must make pure cultures
of IL, that apart from the animal itself
Third the incubation of these cultures
must give rise to the disease in another
animal And fourth and last, this organ
ism must occur in the tissues of the ami
NAL inoculated.
I'm 1895 | read a note at the annual
meetlg of the British Medical Association
in which / described the method by which
l had succeeded in securing cultures off
the organism described In 1894, the second
stage. In May this year l published the
results of further experiments, which
marked a great advance in the method
of culture"
And where have these experiments
been carried out?" I asked.
"At the National Vaccine establishment.
at 81. Thomas" was the reply and in
my own little laboratory In the Lancet
Of the nth / published a paper In which
/ described the results of incubation ex-
perments on animals. These experiments
have for their result the production of
! typical vaccinia, accompanied by normal
vesices and subsequent immunity TO vac
cinia when lnoculated with active lymph"
"And what is the practical RESULT" was
the next question,
What win happen In this--that as soon
us these cultures come to an issue they
win probably take the place of vaccine
lymph for the purpose of vaccination, and
the advantage is that you will work with
a perfectly well known substance of which
| you know accurately the composition and
by which there is absolutely no possibility
OF communicating any disease"
"And how Is 1t cultivated?' / asked
in test tubes" was the reply, Sin a
special medium with egg albumen and
| glycerine, on the same footing as pure
cultures of any other organism. II will do
away with calf lymph, glycerinated or
otherwise"
"And the conscientious objector also?"
1.-THE conscientious Director Is, an my
| opinion a person without a conscience.
You might place the various stages of vac
| cination in the following order: Arm 10
arm, very bad; calf to arm, much better;
| glycerinated lymph. better still; pure cul-
! ture, the ideal of vaccination"
| Mr.. Kent told me that he is entirely uu-
| concerned with the commercial aspect of
| his discovery; the only interest he takes
in Il is from a scientific aspect
There is little reason to doubt that the
| government will adopt this new method, IL
the trials which it will undergo are sue
| cessful.