Evening star., 1913-11-02
STAMPING OUT TYPHOID
Continued from page 3

sand million bacilli in one cubic centimeter
of salt water; given ten and twenty days
later The reactions following these later
inoculations are commonly much milder than
that of the initial vaccinations sometimes
hardly appreciable.
1t is interesting to note the method by
which the quantity of killed bacteria is esti-
mated in these injections. Sir A. E. Wright
hit upon the ingenious plan of mixing equal
parts of normal human blood and the bouil-
lon or emulsion containing the germs to be
counted This was thoroughly shaken to-
gether, and small drops of the mixture
spread upon glass slides, and stained so as to
make the germs visible Then counts OF
both the red cells and the bacteria were
made in number of microscopic fields
divided into millimeter spaces. little
antiseptic is Incorporated, in order to pre-
serve the mixture. 1t is then sealed in glass
ampule over the heat of blast lamp. Each
container is labeled with the bacterial con-
tent, and dated three months ahead of the
time of its preparation after which it IS no
longer considered fit for use.
THE Board of Health of New York City
recently issued a circular indorsing the
method of preventing typhoid by inocula-
tion and holds itself ready to perform 1mmu
n1Zat1ons on request.
Militiamen in all parts of the country are
taking up incubation with the same success
as follows its use in the army. Lately a
great Canadian railway ordered typhoid
vaccination among all its one hundred and
twenty-five thousand employees, from presi-
dent to gate tender. Industrial enterprises
depending upon the health and highest etfi-
cheney of their men for their economic sue
cess are also looking into the advantages OF
antityphoid incubation, and are urging 1t
consistently
One of the latest and most striking reports
comes from Professor Chantemesse, who, it
will be remembered, was among the first to
direct attention to typhoid incubation. On
April 5, 1912, the French Minister for the
Navy authorized the voluntary vaccination
of sailors and laborers in the various ports OF
France with vaccine prepared under the di-
rection of Chantemesse. The greater part
of this maritime population of sixty seven
thousand eight hundred and forty lndlvldu-
ais were doubling Thomases. They waited
-NIicawberlike something to turn up.
1t did. BY the end of December there were
FIVE hundred and forty-two cases of fever
among them. On the other hand, among
thirty-one hundred subjects who were vac
cinated, living identically the same lives as
the nonvaccinated, not a single case ap-
peared. The same benefit followed 1nocu-
lation in the army which was so busy carry
ing the light of civilization into the dark and
turbid corners of Algeria and Morocco.
The latest to avail themselves of the pre-
ventive are the nurses and orderlies in our
large hospitals, who are constantly exposed
to the contagion of typhoid. Inoculations
have shown that the morbidity among the
unvaccinated is nine times greater than
among the vaccinated. And no untoward
effects have arisen from over five thousand
injections.
TT is also claimed that the course and sever
ity of an attack of typhoid may be mate
rally shortened, sometimes even aborted, by
vaccination. An early diagnosis must be
established-and here the value of the "Wi-
dial test" is incompatible. Everyone has
heard of this; but few know how it is done.
little blood or serum. taken from the fin
gertip or the lobe of the ear, is added to a
bouillon culture, either already containing
typhoid bacilli, or to which are Immediately
added living bacteria. In two or three hours,
if in the former case, the turbid fluid is clari-
fed, and clumpy sediment composed of
accumulated bacteria is formed. If the ba-
cilli are added, as in the second instance, the
tube is placed in an incubator, and within
fifteen hours the reaction, if positive, will be