DREYER VACCINE.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 March 1924, Page 1

DREYER VACCINE.

EXPERIMENTS AT PUKEORA

NO DEFINITE RESULTS YET. AUCKLAND, March 1. The statement that Dreyer’s vaccine had been used in the treatment of tuberculosis at tire Rukeora Sanatorium Waipukurau, was made by the Minister of Health, Sir Alntii Romaic. "I do not believe ini holding out false l,o|es to anyone,” said Sir Maui. “Jt mat he that with application experience of Dreyer's and Spahlinger’s vace.iie there lies a way of alleviation of H e sull'ering.s of those ailing from the while plague. We hope to work .to tied. end. At any rate wo will soon be in a position to sav whether those hopes held out in one of the lemedics ■do justified.” Si: Maui then read a report regarding the experiments with Dreyer’s vaccine at Rukeora, rendered hv the medical superintendent. Dr. Hugh Short, as loilow.s : - “The possibilities of Dreyer’s vne■n.c have been tried in a number of u.g's at L’tikeora Sanatorium during the last three to live months. This report is intended to convey merely the immediate result arising from this form of treatment. As to its ultimate usefulness it is, of course much too early to expioss any opinion whatsoever. So i:u as the administration of vaccine inis progressed it may he stated that iD No remarkable evidence of improvement has been forthcoming. (2) Cases without pyrexia have done infinitely better than eases with pyrexia (3) Py-

r,..via eases have in the main made no pi ogress whatever. (I) The good results achieved are not notably greater t lij'.u those which might have been expected using ordinary sanatorium measi.ies without vaccine therapy, though it miiM be said that in a small percentage of cases the vaccine, does appear to have achieved more than would have boon expected with ordinary sanatorium methods alone. “A brief resume of results is as fol-lows:--Thirty-one cases have received a course of three months- ami upwards. Of ilieoe fourteen were advanced eases, fourteen eases were moderately advanced, three were early (fives. Of the fourteen advanced cases three with pyrexia retrogressed and live showed no progress, (if three cases with pyrexia at first and subsequently Billowed hy non-pyrexia one has improved and two have shown no progiess. Of fourteen moderately advanced eases tub) pyroxial leases have shewn no progress, eight without pyrexia have decidedly improved and three without pyrexia have shown no progress." One ease- with pyrexia at list and now without pyrexia has definitely improved. Of the three early

eases, all of which were non-pyrexinl, marked improvement has been noted. Complications arising in this series have i,cen of a minor nature, two eases only of minor haemoptysis being worthy of inspection. The history of one cases precludes any rcilatiomship between haemoptysis and the vaccine. .Seven cases more or less advanced in the dis-ci,-e were commenced on a course of 1 1 cat merit and the course was determined through lack ol progress, increased pvrexial or one or other of tHo following couiplica.tons: (a) 1 ’refuse haemoptysis (haemoptysis in this ease being so great and he doses of vaccine -o small to .suggest no lehilionship between the two); Hi) broncho-pneumonic consolidation, (e) empyema ; (d) tiiberrt losis abscesses of hip joints.” Dreyer's vaccine takes its name from

•no discoverer. Professor 1 hover, oi Oxford University, who has been ex--1 erimenting with vaccines lor treatment of tuberculosis for some time. Some success has been claimed lor bis Vaccine, but its effectiveness has -not yet been finally established. The New /calm vl Clove rumen t obtained small supplies from Professor Dreyer for experimental purposes.