Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-07

lacent to the Naval MeQ1cal
School, devoted to the practical promo
ton of hygiene will show. Most of these
rabbits are used in obtaining the anti
toxin virus for treatment in cases Of
hydrophobia. which is now sent by the
service from it's laboratory i'm this city to
all parts of the United States and even
to the Canal Zone. where a number OF
cases were treated last year in this man.
ner. The applications upon which the
anti-toxin is sent are merely required to
come through proper local health authori-
ties. and the laboratory then assumes the
role of free medical dispensary.
The rabbits, while not actually dis
sected alive, are made to pass through
all the stages of that most horrible OF
diseases which they are designed to pre-
vent in man. Painful though the specta-
Gle undoubtedly is. it must be confessed,
say it's advocates. that the process Of
modifying the original rabies virus OBJ
tanned from the brain OF spinal column
of the dog, through a number of rabbits
or guinea pigs until it is SO changed that
1t becomes. when injected into the human
system. a potent agency in combating
the disease, is one of the most striking
feats accomplished by modern medical
science and is highly suggestive Of posi-
bilities in the treatment of other diseases
by similar methods. Only after long eX-
perimentation has this process been
brought to it's present stage of efficiency.
=
Numerous rabbits and guinea pigs, con-
fined in cages in the laboratory, form
the victims necessary to secure the virus
The original micro-organisms causing
the disease, taken from the carcass or
the dog, are injected into the unfortunate
little victim of science, which begins to
show symptoms in the course of a month
At certain stage of the affection
the animal is killed, and the process NJ
injection repeated in a fresh victim, and
so on until what is known as liked
virus is obtained. This is a toxin Of
known strength, which can be prepared
for use In the treatment CT the patient
with certainty to its effect
Such virus has to be extracted from
an animal which shows symptoms OF
the disease not longer than seven days
after infection. This has been ascertain
ed to be the most rapid development OF
the symptoms of rabies possible even IN
rabbit, and further injections do not
shorten the period, as is the case prior
to this stage. 1t is strange and u;lcN-
planned fact that the 'seven-day virus,
as it may be termed. although evidently
the most RAPIDLY fatal to animals, is least
In order to indicate how this toxin is
prepared for the treatment of patients
the physician in charge conducted the
visitor to small apartment, in which
was maintained a cold and even tenn
perature. On he shelves which lined the
walls were ranged numerous jars. from
the shoppers of which were suspended
strips of a gum-like substance. while the
lower portions of the jars contained a
white substance resembling chalk.
These remarked the physician, al
luding to the gum-like strips, ARE the
spinal cords of rabbits which developed
the disease in the seven-day period The
substance below is caustic potash which
dries the cords and attenuates the toxin
When these spinal cords. which contain
the micro-organisms producing rabies
have reached certain condition OF dry
ness and attenuation, an emulsion is
made from them which is the virus USED
in the incubation for mad dog bite
The process of evolving the virus Tor
treatment is, necessarily. a very delicate
one The first incubation of an animal
with the original virus from the dog pro-