BLODD MONEY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 26, 1 February 1928, Page 7

BLODD MONEY.

fatal economy.

babies sacrificed.

Inoculation Deaths On Altar Of Parsimony. ANALYST'S REVELATION. (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.) (Received 11.30 a.m.) BRISBANE, this day. Mr. Jacob Christcnsen, analyst to the Bundaberg City Council and Queensland Commissioner for Public Health, said that the serum as supplied by the Commonwealth Laboratory was perfectly safe.

This had been demonstrated by the fact that inoculations from January 17 to 24 produced no harmful effects.

For some reason or other, however, it was decided to practice economy, for which purpose the serum was obtained in hulk. Instead, it should has been obtained in individual doses. Had he been consulted, as public analyst, he would not have permitted the serum to be bought in bulk.

Makers of serum knew that each time a container was opened and air was admitted sterilisation was interfered with. In this case, to avoid opening the bottle containing the serum in bulk, a rubber cover over the mouth of the bottle had been pierced with a syringe and the serum drawn up into it.

Contraction of rubber was relied upon to close the hole made by the syringe. Up to six punctures could be made and perhaps the holes might close again, tut if the rubber was tightly stretched the holes would tend to open instead of close.

The rubber covering would carry enormous quantities of bacteria, the action of which, on the serum, they did not know. In such cases serum could not be regarded as safe for more than 36 hours.

Instructions with the 6erum were to use it quickly and not to keep it as was done ,at Bundaberg. Commonwealth authorities have ordered that all the serum held in Queensland should at tmc& be completely withdrawn from use.

During the past year over 1100 inoculations have been made at Brisbane hospital, and in no instance has there been subsequent trouble.

A message from Melbourne states that the Federal Ministry has appointed a Royal Commission to inquire into the Bundaberg deaths.