Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-11-19

enough of them to keep up the COCO OF
more of these little animals which the
laboratory consumes every year.
In another place there are rabbits, some
Of the softest gray and others as wbitr
as the ermine cloak OF a princess. There
are also dainty mice. of the, color Of snow,
which scalnper and play about the''littN
houses in which they are penned. Each
kind of animal has its own place in tn 4,
research work., and many of these which
have been kept here have been of service
in the remarkable discoveries made by
this laboratory as to human diseases. All
of these animals are carefully treated
They have well ventilated houses, heated
by steam, and the best of food that can
be obtained. During my stay ] saw them
feeding the monkeys. The little animals
were given pananas bread nuts and such
other things as they specially like. The
guinea pigs are kept fat on guinea pig
dainties and the rabbits rejoice in. green
lettuce and cabbage. The animals are kept
in perfect health and as far as possible
in good spirits in order that the disease
given TO them may be directly diagnosed
and studied.
Monkeys with Measles.
Among the special human ills which
Uncle Sam is now investigating is
measles. He Is doing this through mon
keys which have been given the measles.
Last June the British medical bureau
stated that John Howard McFadden, the
cotton magnate, who has given mach
money for the investigation OF cancer, is
about to turn his attention to the measles,
II stated that the research would be under
taken in London, and l am told that an
appropriation of perhaps $4,000 is to be
used for this investigation. In the mean
time our government scientists by means
of the monkeys, have made the dis
coveIies which the 'McFadden Institute
proposed to make, and that at no addi-
tional cost to Uncle Sam.
During my visit to the hygenic labora-
tory today I had long chat with DIR.
John T.. Anderson. the director, who in
connection with DR.. Joseph Coidbergcr,
his assistant, has been carrying on the
measles Investigations. Dr. Anderson is
known for his remarkable success in re-
search work. lie has done much in
typhoid fever, pellagra aud infantile
paralysis. lie has made many discoveries
as TO the effect of toxins and anti-toXins,
and as to the bacteria found in milk and
the bacili which cause consumption.
lie tells me that 1t was some time be-
fore they were able to give the measles to
the monkeys. The experiment had been
attempted in England and elsewhere, but
had failed. At our national laboratorv.
however, the, blood or serum used to in
oculate the monkeys was taken from the
human patient at just the time that the
rash was coming out or was about to
come ont. II carried the disease, and
from this and other experiments we now
know Just when measles are infectious.
The first monkeys were inoculated June
Of last year. Ten days later they began
TO be feverish and an eruption came
out upon them, just as il does on a
child The little animals developed all
the symptoms Of human measles and the
disease acted the same way. Now when
/ the disease was just at the right point
certain of these monkeys were killed
and their blood was used TO inoculate
/ fresh monkeys. The monkeys so inoc-
uated took the measles and third
set of monkeys inoculated with THEN
/ blood took tie measles likewise.
Dangers 10 school Children.
From these and other cases DIT. Ander,
son finds that the period OF infectivity
from the measles, as far as the monkey
/ % concerned, begins about the fourth
day after he catches the disease, and thai
.it disappears as soon a. the eruption
has passed away and the temperature Of
the patient becomes normal It must bt
the same with humans, but as it is now
when q child has the measles 1t is KEEP
out Of school for something like tire,
weeks. These investigations show tina
twelve or fifteen days time s all that &.
necessary. and it. is probable that less
period would be safe. Tho disease e.
communicated from man 90 man, or
rather, from child TO child, for it IS 10
large extent a child's disease, b. mean,
Of the secreti0us which come from m,
nose and mouth. Certain monkeys which
were inocuatcd with a fluid mixed viii
these secretious took the measles, ana
% is probable that the contagion comes
largely from such sccrcti0Hs The salivs