The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1904-09-01

By an act of congress passed in 1902
and antitoxine serum all dealers in
these articles who are engaged IN in
terstate traffic are compelled to get
license from the secretary Of the treas
ury, and that official, before giving the
license, must see that the products are
Up to the standard, says the Washing
ton correspondent Of the New York
Post.
This law accounts for no small part
of the work of the recently erected
laboratory of the public health and ma
rine hospital service ON the grounds of
the old naval observatory at Wash
ington overlooking the Potomac. To
get and to retain the license the virus
and toXicS must be submitted to regu-
lar examinations through samples Sc
lected at random by this bureau Of the
treasury, over which DR.. Walter Wy
an expert to Europe to examine the
serum which is sent from abroad.
Once at the laboratory all the sam
pies are planted in the proper culture
media, and the organisms that grow
are examined as to number and kind,
and also for their effect on animal
life. The laboratory also ascertains
whether a given antitoxic has as
much immuniZing value as it claims to
have ON the label, thus establishing
certain standards of strength Of great
value to the careful practitioner.
But this is only one Of many inter
esting things that the new laboratory
is doing. 1t has a little machine for
slicing mosquitoes preparatory to their
examination under the microscope. An
ordinary Vera Cruz mosquito, which is
the kind now under scrutiny, is cut
into about twenty-five slices; these
slices are arranged on glass slides for
examination under a powerful micro
scope as part Of the search after the
germ that causes yellow fever. An eX
animation is now in progress of the
little organism that causes the ''sleep-
ing sickness of the west coast Of Afri
ca. This, so far as known, affects as
yet only the natives but it is sufficient
IL serious to invite the attention of for
eign scientists.
The manufacturers of diphtheria an
dtoxic have had to get their standard
serum from Germany. This laboratory
is now preparing to supply the serum i'll
a form suitable for distribution among
manufacturers and research workers.
Everybody in the United States will
eventually get serum the standard of
which will be in the United States:
whenever the manufacturers put out
vial of the article practitioners can
know it's strength in exact units. In
the development Of these standards
many guinea pigs are utilized; they are
injected with the diphtheritic toxic
and then with the antitoxic until the
exact strength of one necessary to neu
traliZe the other has been ascertained.
In fact, the basement Of the new lab
oratory looks almost like geological
park, with it's cages of mice, rabbits
and guinea pigs under observation.
Cards in front Of each compartment
record faithfully the history Of the
case. Scales for weighing the animals
are at hand They are all treated hui
namely, so that the ntivivisectionistst
have no fault to find. No operation is
ever performed on an animal unless it
is under an anaesthetic. They are all
we'll fed, but, like DR.. Wiley's poison
squad at the department of agriculture,
find their food dosed with the drug. I'M
der examination in it's different degrees
Of strength in order to test various pos
sible effects. This is an important serv-
Ice the animals perform as we'll as in
the production of antitOXic. To raise
its own specimens the laboratory main
tainS an extensive establishment 1t is
estimated that it will take 5000 guinea
pigs a year, besides many rabbits and
mice, for the legitimate operations Of
the laboratory.
The geological division has been in
vestigating the hook worm, besides
doing much general work. All the
drugs used in the public health and
marine hospital service, which has
60,00O patients year, are examined
in the archaeological division. This
lookout for new alkaloidal principles
in drugs and is constantly studying
the effects of new drugs upon animals.
This is chiefly research work. Of late
some of the most important expert
ments have been made with Quinine
compounds, and although the results
are not quite ready for presentation,
the prospect is that some important
disc veries may be announced. The
aim vas to secure a compound which
would kill the micro organisms that
Quinine is so effective in attacking, but
one which would be without the ordi-
nary disagreeable effects of that drug.
Experiments have gone far enough to
show a quinine derivative which is a
great deal more effective on these
micro organisms, but not so injurious
TO warm blooded animals. The tests
have not yet been applied to human
beings, but the poisonous qualities of
the compound have been pretty well