FARM NOTES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4657, 4 February 1924, Page 4

FARM NOTES.

tuberculosis.

RESEARCH WORK IN ENGLAND.

Very imoprtant Investigations in regard to this dread disease are being contracted in Great Britain, by Piofcssur Dreyer. Something of the nature of the investigation and the probable result, is contained in the following statement made at the last meeting of the Royal .Agricultural Society by Lord Mildmay pf Flete. The statement was as follows :—

Lord-Mildmay of Flete asked to be allowed to refer to a matter Which he felt sure, would be of interest io members of Council and to all agriculturists in connection, with Professor Dreyers’ discoveries 'as regards tuberculosis. He (Lord Mildmay) said he was one of three lay members of the Medical Research Council, whicn had been entrusted witji the duty pf inquiring into the matter. Professor Dreyer had found a method, which none had found hitherto, of enabling the policemen cells in man—the phagocytes—to fall on and destroy the malignant tubercle bacillus. No effective vaccine had previously been forthcoming, but Captain Douglas, who was employed in the Medical Research Council’s laboratories, had found that immunity of the malignant bacillus was due to its being encased in fait. -Professor Dreyer had’found a method of “de-fattening” this bacillus, and ot depriving it of its armour, and so it had come about that a really ef-fective-vaccine tubercle had been provided. The application of this discovery tp eighty cases of tuberculosis of all sorts at the London hospitals had provided most startling , and splendid results. A report from the Medical Research Council’s farm would be of interest to-those present. He might add that they had a farm at Hampstead because human ills and. those of animals were so l closely akin in their origin ; for instance, the influenza microbe—a filter-passing and miscroscopical germ—was closely akin to that of distemper. An intimation to the followingjeffect had been received from the authority in charge of the farm :—

"These new vaccines of Professor Dreyer’s are extraordinarily hopeful. The. good results go mi, being obtained in a steady, consistent wa.y t and we are arranging further trials at many different hospitals and institutions in different parts of the country. Meanwhile, our men at Rhodes Farm are testings how far by the use of this method we can give immunity to calve-' We have several calves being immunised, and a very badly tuber-’ culosis cow, from whom it i,s hoped to protect them. If. thi? succeeds the whole tuberculosis problem of dairy milk will be solved. That will help the farmers tremendously, ami will abolish an immense-amount-of tuberculosis pf glands and bones and of other kinds, especially in children.”