The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1909-05-19
MAY 10, 1909
CONQUERING TYPHOID.

1piol' itNNi VIII sOch ~ sto oeiS'J
conquered as smallpox and by very
much the same method 1t is well
known that an attack, Of typhoid
makes one immune from second
attack that is, if he re-
covers. But no one wants to run the
risk of death in order to be immune.
He does not need to, now that fluid
is produced for purposes of vaccination
An article in Technical World Maya
zine for May by Rene Bache says:
"For some time past our own War De
partment has been busly engaged with
the problem of typhoid vaccination,
and at the Army Medical Museum in
Washington large quantities OF the i'm
munizng fluid have been manufactured
and put up in sealed glass tubes, ready
for use, each tube containing the few
drops requisite for dose" Especially
for military purposes this fluid, it is be-
lieved, will be valuable
For an army in the field, or troops
moving from post to post, the water
supply is often uncertain. This di-
sease has been a deadly enemy to
troops. To render soldiers immune is
to save life and loss of efficiency on the
part of an army. Already several hun
dred men have volunteered to allow
themselves to be inoculated, with good
results. The investigation has passed
the experimental stage and army ply
sicians will be supplied with the i'm
munizing fluid
"'rhe fluid is made OF beef broth, in
which few typhoid bacilli have been
put and have multiplied into billions
of baeilli The broth being heated
until the bacilli are dead, and then
tested to be sure that none are alive.
is ready tor use A dose is administer
ed by means Of a hypodermic syringe
under the skin OF person to be made
immune There is little local skin
irritation slight sickness and weary
feeling, and the process is completed.
The bacilli being dead are not able to
engender typhoid fever, but still have
the characteristic poison sufficiently to
cause the cells of the living human be
ing to become lively in nufacturing
an antidote to typhoid.
While this conflict between the cells
and the poison IS going on the inocu-
lated person feels uneasy. When it is
taken into account that one dose of
immunizing fluid contains eight drops,
or about 500, 900, 900 bacilli, and even
two doses, having 200, ooo,o 900 of the
creatures, may be needed for sue
cessfu incubation, it is seen that
good deal Of work is given for few
days to the cells Of the body to do.
This kind of treatment in the way of
preventive medicine is valuable on the
supposition that everybody is in danger
of typhoid fever, which in some local.
ties is strictly true, but there should be
no halting in other preventive measures,
as the adjustment OF impure sources
OF water supply and the insistencc Of
cleanliness.
The statement of DIR. George NJ.
Koeber, Of Washington, ID. c., is start
ling "Rcckoning loss OF wage. earning
capacity, expenses tor medical attend
ance, etc, typhoid fever in this country
costs annually not less than $3.50, ooo,-
600" UP to the present time the
manufacture OF typhoid vaccine has
been conducted exclusively at the la
boratory of the Army Medical Museum
in Washington, but soon the material
will be put on the market