Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-13
SMALL BOYS WOE
His Measles May Soon Be a
Thing of the Past.
ION TRACK OF A SERUM
Public Health and Marine Hospital
Service Is Conducting Novel
Experiments.

Have you been vaccinated for measles?
Probably no. but the chances are that
you Will be able to get protection in this
way soon. The public health and marine
hospital service. under Surgeon Gen. Wy
man. has been experimenting along this
line and has been able to reproduce well
marked but light cases of measles in
monkeys. This is the first step in pre-
pairing protective serum. How long It
will be before such a serum Is made and
proved is a question. but the start has
been made. and the disease eventually is
bound to be relegated to the also ran
column.
| This is an awful outlook for young
America. Measles heretofore has been
looked upon as one of the almost unavoid-
able ailments of childhood. II has not
been taken very seriously by either
parents or children, and the small boy
who can be protected against 1t in ad-
vance can see leave of absence from
school, petting in convalescence and the
accompanying danties of a convalescent
diet vanishing In the stern march of
medical science.
An Important Step.
| At the same time it is looked upon as
a very important step by physicians
Measles often assume epidemic FORM
sometimes in the army. and especially
abroad, and the death rate from the dis
ease is much higher than is generally sup
posed When a protective treatment is
developed it will be possible TO insure an
army or other large gathering of men
against it, as is now done In the case OF
smallpox and typhoid fever.
For many years vaccination against
smallpox was the only protective treat
ment known in the realm OF medical
science. OF late years, as the life habits
and toxic properties of germs became
better understood, the protective moe
ulation against typhoid was developed
and while that has not even now come
to be generally recognized by the layman
medical men and army officers appreciate
it's benefits and 1t is being introduced IN
the American army, where it promises
soon TO be regarded like vaccination
against smallpox as a requisite to enlist
ment Abroad the protective inoculatlon
has been used for years enough TO give
1t scientific standing that is unquestlon-
ed.
The work with measles was begun in
the hygienic laboratory of the marine
hospital service under Surgeon John r.
Anderson, in charge of the LABORATORY,
and Dr. Joseph Goldbereer. Up to that
time but single experiment was on rec
ord. that of Grunbaum, in 1904. This had
merely negative results and II was thought
that measles could not be transferred
from man to animals. This is the nrst
necessary step in working out a protec-
tive serum.
The first experiment in the marine hos
pital laboratory was in June, 1910 Ihen
there were two rhesuS monkeys aNa'lanie
on which to experiment They were gwen
an injection OF blood from a measles
patient There was apparently little re-
suit save slight rise in temperature
that was not considered a that time as
important. as it afterward appeared
Epidemic in District.
During the past spring there was al
epidemic of measles in the District ana
the experiments were renewed. Inc oe-
tails of the work are of only technical
interest but the result was that it was
found possible TO reproduce all the fea-
lures of a light case of measles in the
monkeys on whom the experiment was
tried 1t is believed. too, that they are
immune to any further attack or the
disease. This. however. IS only ssep
toward the preparation of protective
serum There is good reason to DeneNe'
however. that this, can be accomplished
Other members of the marine hospital
force are working on protective OF
curative treatment for leprosy. and nave
SO far succeeded as to grow the germ
outside of the human body. also a nrst
step toward the serum-the hrst time
this has ever been. accomplished in the
history of medicine.
Scientists are chary or making pre-
dictions as to what can be done, but the
recent developments with germ expert
ments suggest TO the iayman the pos
sfbility that eventually there Will ne
protective form Of incubation worked
out as guard against al the contagious