The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-04-02
VACCINE WINS
GREAT BATTLE
Used Successfully in the Fight
Against Pneumonia.
RESEARCH WORK GOES ON

United States Public Health Service
Encouraged by Tests Made in Re.
~ search Laboratories in New York
Shortage of Monkeys is Seriously In
terfering With Progress of Research
Work-Limitations of Serums Elk.
= planned.
The United States public health
service is experimenting with mon
keys in the research laboratory in
New York city for the purpose Of es-
tablishing definitely the value of vac
cine in the prevention of pneumonia
and of serum in its cure.
The research work, in which 200
monkeys already have been used, be-
gan in Washington in March of last
year in order. to follow up remarkable
results obtained in some of the army
camps in the use of vaccine against
pneumonia, which in the last two years
has caused more deaths than any
infectious disease. The experiments
We're started in the Army Medical
school in Washington by Maj. Russell
L. Cecil and Dr. Francis G.. Blake,
now of the Rockefeller Institute of
Medical Research. Both reported en-
couraglng results to the New York
County Medical society, and gave fig
ures on the use of the vaccine at
Camps Upton and Wheeler, indicating
great value in the vaccine. Doctor
Cecil is continuing the experiments
with G. |. Steffen, a bacteriologlst, for
the United States public health serv-
ice. The work will continue for
year or more before the research is
considered complete.
Monkey Scarcity Retards Work.
The experiments are progressing
slowly at present because of the
scarcity of Philippine monkeys. There
are so few in this country at present
for medical work that they command
q price of $50 apiece. Louis Ruhe, an
animal dealer, who recently brought
in a shipload of zoo monkeys from In
dia, said it was difficult to import
the animals, because freight shipping
from the Orient was so brisk that
ship owners would not allow space to
animal importers, and because it was.
necessary to send men to India or
the Philippines to look after the
health of each cargo Of monkeys.
Doctor Cecil, who stated in report
to the New York County Medical So
ciety that the pneumonia rate at Camp
Wheeler among the unvaccinated SOL
Ciers was 20 times the rate for the
vaccinated, has finished the expert
mentation on monkeys with Type
of pneumonia. These experiments are
held to indicate that the vaccine gives
protection against this type of pneu-
monia, and that the serum, given in
time, cures it. The vaccine is an ex-
tract made from dead pneumococcuS
germs. The serum is taken from the
blood Of horse inoculated with the
germs. The theory is that the vac
cine stimulates protective action
in the blood of the human being to
prevent the disease, while the serum
contains an agency developed in the
blood Of the horse for combating the
disease, which the human system
makes against the disease after It
had obtained a start.
A long series Of preliminary expert
ments were made at the Army Medi-
cal school in Washington, which proves
that pneumonia ran course in the
Philippine monkey Of almost exactly |
the same nature as in man. After |
that monkeys were used in sets Of |
two. The pneumonia germs of Type |
1 were shot into the throats of one
vaccinated and one unvaccinated |
the unvaccinated one being |
used as a control" The unvaccinated |
it was reported, invariably |
got pneumonia and died from it. The |
monkeys contracted the
but in q mild form, and soon !
recovered.
Large doses of vaccine have been
used in the experiments in New York
city with more favorable results. Six
sets of monkeys have been inoculated
with the germs there. The unvac-
cinated monkey has died each time,
while the monkey vaccinated with the
larger dose has not contracted the dis
ease at all.
Experiments are now beginning in
the use Of Type 2 of pneumonia,
which is in four types. The year or
more of experimenting is to include
the use Of vaccines against each type
and combinations Of the vaccine
against all the types. The advocates
Of the vaccine believe its value has
been established in the army camps
against the first three types, but less
Is known about the so-called fourth
type, which is thought to comprehend
several groups Of pneumococcus and
,ther Infections
Inoculated MONKEYS Saved,