New-York tribune., 1908-06-10
MENINGITIS DECREASES
Scientists Shoe Why Yirisectlon for
Serum Is Necessary.

Despite the discovery Of a serum SHOWN oy ~
pertinent to effective in cerebro-spnaI menhsili'
or spotted fever, reducing the death rate "iieiS
tried 80 per cent appreciable erect OF lIs use
shown i'm the reports of the Health Department OF
this city, where the remedy was discovered LII
Simon FIexner of the Rockefeller INSTITUTE as
first told in The Tribune, after years Of work sue
ceeded in perfecting a serum which has Deen used
in endemic centres in Dublin Vienna and in Cleve-
land Its use has not become general here through
ignorance of the fact that it may be obtained at
the Rockefeller Institute, ignorance OF us eX-
istence.
In 1qO5 when the disease was epidemic here. there
were 2755 cases reported with 2.O25 Deaths in 1906
O32 cases. with 81 deaths. and last year, SS cases
with 642 deaths 1t said yesterday at the
Health Department that all cases of the disease
might not have reported, but the deaths nave
been 1t was admitted that If the serum were
generally the result would at once be apparent
DR. w H. Park the head of the departments
research laboratory, said last evening that Dr.
FIexner had asked the department TO begin the
manufacture of the serum. This would be begun,
Dr. Park said, in July. 1t would take hve months
to prepare horse to give serum OF the proper
strength The doctor spoke rather cautiously at
first calling attention the anti-vtvisecton cru
SADIE on at present. He was asked whether the
getting Of this serum did not partake Of the char
acter OF -iv:section
"It is what we call physiological experimentation
when we are engaged in research work. he said,
but there is cruelty attached TO this work OF
gettsg serum We horses to get the d1Ph-
iberia antitoxin tetanus. dysentery and bubonic
pIague serums and in neither instance does the
horse suffer We get the antitoxin and serum
from the blood. and when we believe that the horse
has done its share we send it to Otsvile, where IL
is put out in pasture. We use from twenty 10
twentv-six horses right along. These horses must
be in perfect health. of course
Suppose that should be prohibited from using
horses or other animals for this purpose?' con-
tinued the doctor Would parents like to see
their children die diphtheria at the rate pre-
vailng before the discovery of antitoxin? And
how was the antitoxn discovered? The sacrifice
of a few animals to save human life is laudabie and
no obstacle should be placed in the way of the
baCteriologist.
In regard the CerebrC-spinal meningitis serum.
nhvsfcians should know that it be had at the
Rockefeller Institute l somewhat in doubt
TO admitting all that is claimed for it, but 1 know
that it is good
DR. Park said that his force of bacteroIogsts was
now working to discover d serum for scarlet fever
The real germ of the disease has not been dfscov-
cred he said although scientists declare that
the streptococcus the cause. But DR.. Park said
that its presence in scarlet fever was due to the
pus in which 1t is always found. His department
is on the alert for the discovery of a serum for
IT, tuberculosis. cholera, anthrax, typhoid and measles
In regard to the rabies said TO have been
discovered in Paris DR.. Park said that it was not
different from what was in use here