The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1917-01-04
Serum From His Veins Averts
LoCkjaW.
NO HUMAN BEING DOES MORE
Service Of Dan and His Fellows Pre-
vents Terrible Disease From Follow
ing Naming Of European Fighters.
Animals Not In the Least Injured by
tho Treatment.

over soldier MANNED and torn by
shrapnel and lifts shining needle tip
ped instrument and fills it's tube with
tetanus antitoxin, he may pour it into
liquid that came from the veins of
Dan, an old retired New York city fire
horse, which lives on the health de-
partment sanitarium farm at Otisville,
s N. Y, says the New York Times.
In the last five years, since he was
discarded by the fire department, Dan
has supplied diphtheria antitoxin and
tetanus serum which would have cost
its users 100000 in the open market.
At least 100000 European soldiers. it
is estimated, have been treated with
antitoxin taken from the veins of this
old horse. He has been so inoculated
with tetanus germs that he now pro-
duces the serum periodically and will
so long as he lives.
City Sells Antitoxin.
Since the war started the New York
city health department has been SELL
ing tetanus antitoxin to- the. fighting
nations at the rate Of $4,000 worth a
year. In the first months of the war
a shipment Of the antitoxins was sent
to Austria, but it is not known whether
it ever reached it's destination; the
rest Of the antitoxin sold has gone to
the allied nations. Dan and four other
horses retired from the fire and street
cleaning departments have produced
e,this serum. from which was made an
sssti-toxin. which has brought: to the
. health department about $4,000.
There are on the Otisville farm about
tWeidy horses. Under the New York
city laws. the, health department pro-
ssdueest the antitoxins for distribution in
! the city; free of charge, to hospitals
! and those who cannot afford to pay
for them. The law also provides that
if the health department produces
Z: more antitoxins than are needed in the
city it may sell the surplus, the reve-
nue. to be used for health department
purposes. Up to the beginning of the
war most Of the serum produced at
Otisville was for diphtheria antitoxin
there being very little demand for tet-
When the war started the depart
ment had a surplus Of tetanus anti
toxin. which it sold in Europe. and
lnasmuch as the expense of producing
more was not large. five horses instead
of one were set to manufacturing the
life guarding fluid. The department
has been supplying it's European mar
ket and now has about 800 quarts in
reserve.
Many Thousands Saved.
Dr.. w. II. Parks. head of the city
health department laboratory, said
that probably as many as 100000
wounded soldiers had been treated
with the tetanus antitoxin the depart
ment had sent abroad. with the result,
ne was sure, Of the saving of many
thousands of lives. DR.. Parks explain
ed that the horses suffered almost
nothing. He said the diphtheria inocu-
latlon made the animals bit groggy
and perhaps might shorten their lives,
but that the horses treated with the
tetanus germs were all in the best of
health. Animals in very poor shape
when taken to the farm have soon be-
come sleek and handsome. despite the
germs they carried around. The ami
mails do no work and are we'll fed.
DR.. Parks said that it was practical
ble to have horse produce two Sc
runs at once: that there would be no
quarrel among the germs But he
said that in practice, inasmuch as old
horses were easy to get, only one Sc
rum was made by 'one horse
The animals are inoculated with the
germs of either diphtheria or tetanus,
and the dose is gradually increased,
the animals system all the time man
nfacturing antitoXin-a sort of super-
vaccination. When a certain stage has
been reached the blood vessels in the
animals neck are tapped and an
amount OF blood taken. from which
the antitoXin is made in the health de-,
partment laboratories. Dipntheria in:
oculatlon must be made more often
than that for tetanus serum.
No Pain Caused to Animal.
1T was after Dan had turned out
many quarts Of diphtheria serum that
the war turned him into lockjaw Sc
rum plant. He was "fed up before
the treatment was started. 1t took
about three weeks of incubation treat
ment before his blood was in the prop
er state to produce the best serum
The tetanus germs caused the making
of antitoXin to counterfeit them. and
gradually Dams blood came to the
point where he could make a very
large amount Of antitoXin needed to
combat the germs shot into bis veins.
He is now regularly led up to the sta
bles, and the blood is taken from his
neck. The doctors who do the work
say that he suffers very little pain.
DR.. Parks said that the example of
the horses at Otisyille was consum-
mate example of service which no hui
man ever eXcelled.