Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-23
YELLOW fever CURE
Results Of Experiments by the New
York Health Officer.
A CURATIVE SERUM DISCOVERED
VIII Be Sent to Havana for Use
by ANhosities There.
Il H E WORK bed
THE WORK DESCRIBED
From the New York Herald.

officer of this port. The micro-organism of
| yellow fever, which was discovered by
Giuseppe SanarelH in 1897, has been iso-
lated and a serum prepared which in care
full tests with animals has been demon
strated to possess both curative and pre-
ventive properties.
So important is the matter and so great
degree of success has attended the ex-
periments that DR.. A. H. Doty, health
; officer of the port, has made formal an
| nouncement Of what had been accomplished.
Will Send Serum to Havana.
While Dr. Doty's experiments have neces-
sariIy been confined to animals, he has no
hesitation in recommending the use of the
serum for human beings, and is now pre-
| pairing some which he will send to Ha
vana for use by the authorities there.
DIR. Doty's experiments have been most
] thorough. They were begun before Sana-
relli announced, in 1897, that he had iso-
lated the yellow fever germ and produced
the serum. 49,
Horses and guinea pigs have been used
here, as experience with anti-toxin and
other remedies has shown that results with
animals are similar to those obtained with
human beings Dr. Doty looks for a sue
cessful result of -ethe tests which will be
made in Havana
DIR. Dsty's Report.
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 months before
Prof Sanarelli of Montevideo published the
result of his experimental work in this di-
rection in which he claimed that he had
isolated the specific organism of yellow
fever. His conclusions were accepted with
consider able reluctance by bacterIoioglStS,
inasmuch as similar claims had been made
by other Investigators which could not be
verified. However, Saranellfs envlable
reputation as a baeteriologist and the care
and thoroughness with which his invesu-
cations were conducted gained for his work
respect and careful consideration.
IN the spring of 1897 a number of cases OF
yellow fever wsfeu brought to this port and
transferred to SWTnbIIrne Island. AutopSieS
made at this time furnished an opportunity
to test the value of Sanarellfs work. An
organism was soen7found. which proved to
be identical With that described by this in
vestigator. ~.
| Experimental ON Insane Persons.
about this period I received from him
culture of the alleged yellow fever germ,
which made It possible to compare 1t with
the organism lS91aIeu dI ldpoi dtoiy,
and it was fouAd that they were practically
the same. In SanareIli's paper describing
his experiments Ne states that he produced
tby inocu,a lion with the yellow fever germ
yellow fever in number of persons who
| were turned over to shim for this purpose
by the state or Municipality. ,I5'r
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.to
by Sanarelli were inmates of an insane asy-
lum, and regarded as ihcurable cases
Without discussing the propriety of such an
act on the part of those in charge of the
institution referred to, it will be fully APP
preciated that an experiment or TINS klnd
is invaluable.
After Sanarelli had isolated what he re-
garded as the specific organism Of yellow
fever, he inoculated animals with the Gull
ture of the same, and claimed to nave sue
ceeded in obtaining serum which cured
yellow fever both in men and animals.
Results Obtained.
1.-The work of immunizng animals to OBJ
tain the serum above described was begun
at this station in January, 1898. Two good,
sound horses were selected for the purpose.
After ten months continuous work Sc
rum was obtained, which showed slight
therapeutic effect. For example If given
number of guinea pigs were inoculated
with the germ and half or the NUMBER
afterward injected with the serum the lat
ter would remain alive three or four days
longer than the rest. The succeeding ex-
periments varied until May 2, when a Sc
rum was obtained which yielded very sat
isfactory results.
Fourteen cubic centimeters of the serum
when injected into an animal which had
just been inoculated with fatal dose of
the germ of yellow fever preserved Its life,
and it remained perfectly well and healthy,
whereas If it had not received the serum
it would have died. This was proven by
the death of all the other animals which
were injected at the same time with the
germ of yellow fever but were not injected
with the serum. A small dose of the Sc
rum, ten cubic centimeters, succeeded in
preventing the infection Of an animal which
was twentyfour hours afterward inocu-
lated with the fatal dose Of the germ of
yellow fever.
Other guinea pigs which were inoculated
at the same time and had previously re-
ceived no serum treatment died. Expert
ments made with serum obtained on June
have shown equally satisfactory results.
The serum which we have obtained In this
laboratory is fully equal to If not more
decided in its results than the serum OBJ
tanned by SanarelH, and which has been
forwarded to me from Montevideo.
Its Value Determined.
THE important work of which I have