Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-04-08
WIDESPREAD USE OF SERUMs
ny FREDERIC J. IiAsI<IN.

WASHINGTON. d. g.. April g.
Among the American Industries to
suffer by the recent German blockade
Is the serum industry. For the past
two years American biological labora-
tories have been supplying the milf
tary hospitals OF Europe with yaccines
ana Serums. thereby waxing prosper
GUS. Now ii IL difficult to ship serum
ABROAD. and Europe OF necessity il
manufacturing It's own supply. Hence
the commercial outlook for our crst-
"hile money making laboratories is
rather dismal. but encouraging to
,Hcic sam. During tho war chere will
DC plenty OF serum on hand with which
70 ihocuiatc Il volunteer army.
10 Inc average person this does not
aPpear extremely important. but IL is.
according to the United states Public
iieaith service. which has just COM
pietcd Il detailed inspection Of all the
ioioeicai laboratories throughout the
country TO determine their cnpacity in
Time or war. In the fi,tt place the
army Is absolutely dependent upon ty-
phoiu vaccine to prevent il from con-
tract,ns Typhoid fever. During tn.
Spanish American War, before yacci.
nation was Instituted, sixteen men died
al typhoid fever to every one of bullet
wounds. Smallpox vaccination Is we'll
established. And. In the present war,
the use OF antitctanus serum has re-
from 20 To 20 per cent
hesc are the three products that
Wouiu TAX the capacity OF the biologi-
ca laboratories I'm case of war. In
a"ui.ion 10 these large quantities OF
u srea, variety Of serums are needed
10 supply the ordinary medical de-
nahus There is antitoXin for diph-
thrria' or course. and the t'lexner
serum Tor meningitis. both OF which
nave proved remarkably succesarul
far
p"iis. whoopinK cough. Snakcbitc hay
FEVER, dyScntery. crysipclas and pncu-
monia.
In 1855 thousands of children died
IN diDhthcria epidemic which swept
"' the large American cities. the NOR
tajlH rate running uH high as 1853.
Ihcn Paul Erlich the great German
scientist. who died in 1915. discovered
antitoXin. What Erich did WAS TO
inject diphtheria toxin into "a healthy
horse. whose blood Immediately formed
Il poison 10 resist II. This poison
known as antitOxin. he drew from a
vein In the horses neck and injected
into guinea pig which way dying
with diphtheria The guinea pig got
we'll little girl dying with diph-
iberia was also given an injection. and
she got well. SO antitoxin was dis
covered.
Many Horses Arc Used.
To-day. anti-toxin il made the same
way. The large biologi cal laboratories
Oh the country maintain. sometimes AZ
many as 800 sleek. healthy horses for
The purpose. Fortunately. the process
does not hurt the horse Since diph-
liberia can he conveyed only hy living
hacflii the horse does not contract the
disease. for tho poison injected il a
preparation from which the baciili
have been removed, Neither does the
bleeding process hurt tho hos. any
more than il hurt orr suffering nuc.y-
~ lN.. .l..,.
\ sterile tub Is Inserted into the
lusuiar vein Of the horse ana gal
Ion or more Of blood drawn of. which
is placed in little glass cylinders and
packed In cold storage until tho coavu.
'ation process occurs. From this
preparation The serum is then Uttered.
small percentage OF tr!kr.soi added
"a preservativ., and II is again p!ac-
ed In cold storage until tests have been
mad" upon guinea pigs to determine its
fitness FOR use
Now, III addition TO using antt-tox!n
as curative. IL i. also used as :.
preventive measure IN the treatment
OF diph;h"rih. The sooner thu dos. is
administered in tn" course Of the dis
ease. the greater chance the child has
to recover, bot whore children have
not III" disease. although having been
subjected 10 II. anti-tox!n is given to
keep them from contracting IL, Now II
is curious fact Of nature that som.
persons are immune to certain dis
eases however much exposed ~ iheuu
30 thai there is a fairly large percen-
taRe OF children immune to diphth.r,a
naturally, they do not need anti
toxin. In order To discover which. per
sons ar" susceptible to tn. diJNas.
therefore, medical science has inttu,-
ed what ~ known as the Schick re-
action This IL a minute dose Of diplA
liberia poison. such as II used or thd
horse. Injected into the skin--not un3
der II. Within thirty-six hours. IL Tho