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

.N ASHlNGTON, Nov. 19.-MCn-
XAT Keys which have the measles,
guinea pigs with the diph-
49, iberia and rabbits with
fM8SRSI typhoid fever-these are some
Ws@G OF the things TO be seen in the
great experiment station which Uncle
Same has established on the banks Of the
Potomac to keep disease away from his
children. II is now ten years since a ma
uonal bureau of public health was
founded, The institution has proven to
b of enormous value, and there is a pos
sibility that 1t will some day be made
I cabinet department with a secretary at
tts head. AS 1t Is. now the bureau Is con-
trOlled by the secretary of the treasury.
Its superintendent is Surgeon General
Walter Wyman, whose life has been
spent in fighting the great diseases which
affect the nation. 1t is to him that we
owe the movement now being made
oSainst tuberculosis, peilegra and
typhoid fever, to the government regula-
HOns as to the sale of viruses and toxins.
end also to the establishment of the
hygienic laboratory whose work 1 de-
scribe further on in this letter.
Thc Government as Doctor.
l doubt whether there Is IN. any part Of
the world an institution Of medical re-
search moro important than that which
\ the government has here at Washington.
v have visited the Welcome laboratories
an Nahrtum, in the sudan, They are de-
voted to tropicRl diSeases--to the black
water fever, the sleeping sickness and
other horrors OF the upper Nile and
middle Africa. There IS n laboratory of
medical research in London and there are
others In Paris, Berlin and Vienna. The
most OF these are private institutions
carried on with private capital. Our gov
eminent institution, known as the hy-
g!enic laboratory. is backed by the ma
ton, and II gets its appropriations from
congress. 1t is connected with the ma
tional bureau of health and It has so
grown that 1t Is now one OF the most
important of the government undertake
iuRs,
The hygienic laboratory consist of sew
eral large buildings which are devoted to
research work. 1t contains chemical and
other laboratories, specially fitted up
rooms In which germs and microbes of
all kinds are reared. rooms for the test
ing of diseases through a study of ami
mails which have been infected with them
and all the machinery for modern medi-
cal investigation. It would take many
columns to give a record Of the various
kinds of work now going on and de-
scription of what has already been ac-
cSmplished. In this letter l can mention
Ihly a few Of the problems which are
Rnow being studied and some of the meth
DDS by which the scientists arrive at their
conclusions.
Uncle sans Medical Zoo.
One of the interesting features of the
laboratory is its study of human dis
eases through animals of one kind or
other Indeed, in one respect the institu-
ton might be called Uncle Sans Medi-
cal Zoo for 1t has colonies of animals
which the government keeps on hand in
order that 1t may investigate through
i them the diseases with which man is
Afflicted. These animals are inoculated
With human blood taken from persons
who have certain diseases. They thus
catch the diseases and through them the
diseases are studied and Investigated
The sick animal is given drug after drug
IN order that the right one for this spe-
clal ailment may be discovered. Such
animals are carefully watched their
symptoms arc noted, and, II necessary,
they are killed and cut to pieces to ascer-
tain the origin and course Of the disease
and how it may be controlled as it affects
man.
Among the animals used for this pur-
pose are guinea pigs, rabbits, mice and
monkeys. We are said to be descended
from the monkeys, and the monkey is the
nearest to man in its makeup. 1t is only
lately that it has been used in such in
vostigations, but it is proving TO be Of
enormous value. At present the govern
lnent has on hand about three score of
such monkeys, anu it wants more. The
monkeys used come from India. They
are Of Il species known as the Rhesus,
which IL said to be, of all monkeys, the
best for this purpose; The Rhesus
monkeys are little fellows not much big
1851 than a good.sized fox terrier, and are
quite as cunning, as mschieyOus aud as
interesting as any monkey you viii see
IN the ZOO. They are kept in cages in a
monkey house and are taken out from
time TO time as they are needed in the
investigation,
In the Guinea pig Pens.
IN another part Of this same house is
what l might call the guinea pig stock
'arCs. This is composed of many It'll,
pens occupied by guinea pigs. A male
and four females are allotted TO each
pen. They breed rapidly, and there arc