FATAL ECONOMY?

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 267, 1 February 1928, Page 1

FATAL ECONOMY?

SERUM BOUGHT IN BULK BUNDABERG TRAGEDY ROYAL COMMISSION TO INQUIRE By Cable.—Press Association. — Copyright. Heed. 10.30 a.m. BRISBANE, To-day. Mr. Jacob Christensen, analyst to the Bundaberg City Council, and Queensland Commissioner for Public Health, said the serum as supplied by the Commonwealth Laboratory was perfectly safe, as had been demonstrated by the fact that the inoculations from January 17 to 24 produced no harmful effects. For some reason or other, however, it was decided to practise economy, for which purpose the serum was obtained in bulk. Instead, it should have been obtained in individual doses. Had he been consulted as a public analyst, he would not have permitted the serum to be bought in bulk. The makers of the serum knew that each time the container was opened and

the air 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 ot the rubber was relied upon to close the hole made by the syringe. TJp to six punctures could be made, and perhaps the holes might close again; but if the rubber were 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 knew, in such cases, the serum could not be regarded as safe for more than 36 hours.

The instructions with the serum were to use it quickly, and not keep it as was done at Bundaberg. The Commonwealth authorities have ordered that all the serum held in Queensland should at once be completely withdrawn from use. During the past year over 1,100 inoculations have been made in Brisbane Hospital, and in no instance has there been subsequent trouble. The Federal Ministry has appointed a Royal Commission to inquire into the Bundaberg deaths. Sir Neville Howse, Minister of Health, said the Health Department was still mystified as to the cause of the tragedy. It was still analysing the serum held at Melbourne, but had to wait until full reports came from Bundaberg. The Minister added that he was determined to clear up the mystery. The department would rather prove itself guilty of gross Incompetence and utter carelessness and find out what caused the deaths, than protect its own name and allow the mystery to go unsolved. —A. and N.Z.