A T.B. VACCINE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 231, 12 September 1934, Page 5

A T.B. VACCINE

Immunity For Cattle WALLACEVILLE TRIALS A full-scale trial of the Spahlinger method of treating tuberculosis is being conducted by the Department of Agriculture at the Wallaceville Experimental Station, near Wellington, in the belief that under the process immunity lor cattle from tuberculosis can be obtained. Although Henry Spahlinger has dropped out of the news in recent years, the medical worn! has been divided over Ins claims that he is the possessor ot an effective vaccine treatment for securing immunity from tuberculosis. He refused to disclose the tull lormula, and as a result his claims were doubted by many authorities. Now ho has permitted tile publication ot his secret.

Sir James Allen, a former New Zealand High Commissioner, is a keen adimrei ot Spahlinger, and has always had iaith in him. When Sir James was at Geneva he was frequently in touch with Spahlinger, and visited his experimental station, where there was an extraordinary laboratory with features which were not to be found- anywhere else. METHOD DISCLOSED. “His constant difficulty was the complicated nature of the methods ol preparing Ins vaccine,” said Sir James in an interview with the "Auckland Star," "but he has succeeded in curing many human b<. mgs of tuberculosis. There has recently been published a work winch is called an international tribute to Spahlinger, containing forewords by authorities who show their belief m his system. Advance copies of this book have reached the Dominion, and have been circulated amongst those who take an interest in the treatment. The book contains full details of the official experiments with the Spahlinger vaccine by the Government of Northern Ireland, showing that 100 per cent, of calves immunised by Spahlingei’s vaccine had resisted an infection ot tuberculosis which proved tatal to non-vaccinated calves. "Over and over again, Spahlinger has demonstrated the effectiveness of his vaccine in protecting cattle from tuberculosis, and the important development at the moment is that for the first time Spahlinger, in this book, lias disclosed the full method of preparing this vaccine,” added Sir Janies. Thu formula was now available in New Aealand and was being utilised by the Department of Agriculture. If it rendered New Zealand cattle immune from tubercular disease, the results would be of tremendous value, not only to the cattle, but in the additional protection given to human beings through removal of the risk of infection from that source. LENGTHY PREPARATION. Confirming the statements of Sir James Allen, Dr. C. J. Reakes, Direc-tor-General of Agriculture, said that it was his opinion, based on the information given in Spahlinger’s latest book, that the result of the experiments showed that the preventive treatment had been very effective in respect to cattle. Through the disclosure of the method of preparing the vaccine, a start was made two months ago at the AVallaceville Experimental Station in preparing a quantity of it with the object ot trying it on cattle, it would take a year to make the vaccine, but a start had been made, and when the vaccine was ready tests on a full scale would be made.

Discussing the economic value of successfully immunising cattle, Dr. Reakes said that the cost of controlling tuberculosis in cattle in New Zealand, where inspection was very rigorous, involved a fairly large expenditure every year, with the result that by comparison with other countries, New Zealand cattle were very free from tuberculosis. This, however, involved constant inspection, and the condemnation and the destruction of cattle.