VACCINE FOR INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 23 December 1933, Page 7

VACCINE FOR INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

IMMUNISATION OF ANIMALS. EXPECTED TO BE EFFECTIVE WITH HUMAN BEINGS Received Friday, 10 p.m. NEW YORK, dee. 21. The announcement of the Long Island College of Medicine’s Infantile Paralysis Commission, through the director, Dr. Kramer, that it had developed an immunisation vaccine which had proved effective in immunising three-fourths of the animals tested, the ratip of immunisation being fully as high as that of standard vaccines, for instance for diphtheria, has created great interest here. The Australian Press Association representative requested Dr. Morgan, of the Commonwealth Health Department, who is touring the United States studying the advances made in serum therapy, to comment on the announcement. Dr. Morgan said that, while he had investigated various infantile paralysis treatment methods in Europe and intended to do so in the United States, he had not yet had the opportunity of- inquiry into the Long Island method. He added, however: ‘‘lt sounds possible. It sounds quite all right. ’’ He said be knew Dr. Kramer’s work by repute. Dr. Kramer to-day said; “We have reason to expect that this vaccine, which is non-toxic, will be effective in human beings,” but he added a warning that muqji remained to be done before infantile paralysis vaccine was available for general use. Dr. Morgan, who intends to visit the Albany State laboratory, the Rockfeller Foundation in New York, the Harvard Medical School, and the Federal Health Department at Washington before returning, to Australia on January 17, intimated that he would ,ma)ce further inquiries into Long Island’s methods. .

Dr Kramer described the vaccine as a mixture of the virus of .infantile .paralysis and convalescent serum, obtained' from blood recovered from patients. ...... He said the virus which disease is .not a gem, but some .agent too small to be detected ]>y ( th£. ; aiost powerful microscope, while the convalescent serum he believed to contain imniunising or . neutralising chemicals produced by the patient's body that render thWdisease virus harmless