Evening star., 1940-01-23
Spotted Fever Serum ).
Is IsDiscoyered by
Health Service.
Not Yet Tried on Humans
The Curative Is Still in
Experimental Stage
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Experimental Stoee
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
The first successful spotted fever
serum was reported today by the
United States Public Health Serv-
ice.
Produced by a long process in the
blood of rabbits, this immune serum
saves the lives Of monkeys infected
with the disease and promises to
be a long step toward the conquest
of one of the most dreaded Of hu-
man maladieS.
Still in a highly experimental
stage, the serum has not been tried
on human beings The spotted
fever season does not start until
late spring.
The disease has been known in
the United States for about half a
century. 1t was at first confined to
certain restricted areas in the
Northern Rocky Mountains. A NAL
ady quite similar to typhus in its
general manifestations, it had an
even higher fatality rate. Public
Health Service investigators deter
mined that it was spread by the
Rocky Mountain dog tick, which
lurked in the foliage of underbrush.
Farmers, hunters and children at
play were especially likely to be-
come infected.
A Dramatic Story.
One of the most dramatic stories
in the history of American medicine
was the production by the Public
Health Service of a spotted fever
vaccine. The experimental work
cost the lives Of three Public Health
Service doctors. The production of
this vaccine was extremely costly
and dangerous. 1t was made only
at the Governments special labora-
tory in Montana and In sufficient
amounts to protect the inhabitants
of the highly infested regions. With
out this vaccine parts of Montana
and Idaho would have become val
leys of death. No commercial firm
would venture upon the manufac-
ture Of the vaccine.
1t proved quite reliable as a pre-
ventive of infection, but had no
value whatever once the malady
had been established. Then there
was no specific remedy and recov-
cry depended on the patients nat
ural resistance and quite generalized
treatment Of the symptoms.
About 10 years ago it was first
learned that the disease was spread
ing eastward. The common Amer
ican dog tick, which since has been
called "the most dangerous wild ami
NAL in the New World" was slowly
spreading its range westward into
the foothills of the Rockies until 1t
crossed paths with the Rocky Noun
tain tick, the bearer of the dreaded
infection The Eastern tick acquired
the infection from its close relative
and proceeded to spread it among
human beings.
Spread Was in Jumps.
The spread, however, was in
jumps. The first Eastern case was
diagnosed in Virginia. Since then
it has been reported from one dis
trict after another, chiefly among
children. Ever since it has been
one of the chief sources of worry
during the summer for parents and
camp officials. The Public Health
Service has advised that children
playing in the open be thoroughly
examined at least twice daily during
the tick season and this has become
a routine ritual at noon and evening
in many homes.
While there is no set rule, it is
known that if tick is removed
within an hour or two after it
fastenes itself to the body and
starts sucking blood there is rela-
lively little danger Of infection. A
great deal depends, however, on the
particular virulence of the tick.
Fortunately, it appears. the disease
is not passed easily from tick to
tick and 1t spreads very slowly.
Very few individuals among the
counteless millions of these insects
dSIudIy SdA1y tIlc AlACCGlOIl. IL
tends to remain in pockets" of
limited area and this has forced
the abandonment Of some popular
summer camps.
Experiments looking to the pro-
duction of an immune serum, on
much the same principle as anti
pneumonia serum, have been in
progress for a long time but there
has been little progress until the
success announced today by DR..
Norman H. Topping Of the Public
Health Service staff.
He first vaccinated his rabbits
with four tiny doses of the vaccine
over a period of two weeks. Thus
their resistance to the malady was
built up slowly. Then he began
innoculating them with the grown
up bodies of the ticks themselves,
first under the skin and then with
direct doses into the blood stream.
Then they were bled, the serum
portion of their blood separated,
and treatment started with infected