Evening star., 1955-06-23
Experts Back
Continuance OF
SaIk Vaccine
Continued From First Page

COutluue0 from flfSt rag
Iof vaccine made by the Cuttel
Laboratories, Berkeley, Calf.
! DR.. Salk emphasized that h,
was in full accord" with ever,
Ipractical move to make the vac
cine as effective as possible. HI
indicated that he would CO.
Ioperate to the fullest in all re-
search efforts to determine
whether other virus strains coult
and should replace the Mahoney
strain. In the course of the
poll of the panel on the twir
questions of continuing inocula.
tions and substituting virus
strains, the following views were
brought out:
DR.. Wendell M. Stanley of the
University of California said that
as a biochemist he did not feel
qualified to say whether the in
loculation program should be
stopped. He added that he rec
lognized the "desirability of SUBJ
Istituting virus strains" but that
the problem would require con-
siderable laboratory work.
DR.. Manfred NJ. Mayer of the
John Hopkins University School
of Hygiene and Public Health
also said he did not feel COM
|petent to say whether the pro-
gram should be stopped. But he
declared it was ''highly desirable
that a virus substitution be made
as soon as possible. He added
that in his opinion the Salk
vaccine "can be made lot
safer" =.
Wouldn't Stop Program
DR.. Macleod commented that
"from the weight Of evidence
already obtained in the SalkI
vaccination program it would
be wrong at the present time to
stop the program.
DR.. Horsfall told the committee
he was glad that the poll which
began late yesterday after DR..
Sabin's recommendation was no
longer a package deal" He OBJ
served that panel members to-
day were given an opportunity
to vote separately on the stop
page question and the substitu-
ton problem. He voted for the
substitution but against the
stoppage.
DR.. Shannon said that the
Public Health Service and he
personally are confident that
the Salk vaccine not only is safe
and effective but that any risks
have been greatly diminished as
a result of the revised standards.
He nevertheless emphasized that
no vaccine is 100 per cent safe
and that there is room for i'm
provement in the Salk vaccine,
possibly by the substitution of
other viruses. But this, he said,
might take considerable time
and would not justify a stoppageI
OF the present program.
Defends Program
Dr.. Francis, in opposing stop
page. remarked that the present
program has not been hasty or
inadequately tested and con-
trolled. He observed that in
modern warfare I'VE don't go
slowly any more" and that rea-
sonable speed is necessary in a
development such as polio vac
cine. AS for the virus substitute
ton proposal, he said he doubted
it could be done in six months
because it is still an experiment
tai idea in contrast to "the
proven product we have in the |
present vaccine"
The appearance Of the panel
before the House committee was
novel In congressional procedure.
Committee Chairman Priest said
mis- group was considering pos
'ible legislation authorizing Fed
sral grants to States for pur-
;hase OF vaccine to assure inoc-
llation of all children. The pur-
pose of the current two-day ses-
sion, he said, is to obtain expert
Information on scientific aspects
If the vaccine program as a
yuide to determining whether
SAdAroy fasNAle m,.A I,,aAsAnA