TO SAVE LIVES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 16 August 1907, Page 4

TO SAVE LIVES

A HEUEDI EuR ANTJIHAX. According to a report from tin; north oi England one ui the most important liie-saving discoveries ever known has been made by a Dowsbury chemist, lie has loimd a way of completely destroying the anthrax bacilli without in any way injuring the wool or hides treated.

The chemist iu question is Air llnrry Hay, who ia the technical expert in one of the oiggest dyeing and woollen ciulh iii ijis in iurk:jh:re. j/or some Jong time he has i/eeii conducting expenia.-nu-j Hn L Jio ui iierjtroyitig coloring and foreign iaailer in uowlkm r;igs. lo iV.uier them mure valuable for the heavy v.ublien trade.

tie immersed the nigs in a weak eleeU'oiilie solution, and a current of el.c.ricity parsed through it. The result wa» that cotton or other vegetable iibre was destroyed, leaving only the wool. Mr Hay found also that by the same proc.-ss the wool was effectively sterilised and rendered free of disease, and iie pursued his investigations accordingly. New wool of ail kinds was impregnated with anthrax germs, and on being subjected to treatment lli'-se were found to be completely destroyed. Skiju also were found to be amenable Lo the same treatment.

U hat. ihu dim-ovcry means id tile woollen trade can hardly be estimated. I he liunibi r of jvuol and skin-workers uiio have la lien victims to anthrax in recent years i» rnoroivug. Wool sorting N -fiii'ilui'd as anion"" the must (laugoroib trades, anil further restrictions <»ii tile ilepoi't of wool ill cuHtcipicicr an- being coiisVlcred. -\li' I -■'. V lii-eoi cry will change all thai. in nitiirc ii will Iv unneeoi-ary to open bale, oi wool or -1 ■.illarriving iroai iorcigu TOiimricK before dealing uith liu-m. if they arc placed in tne li'jnid oil ini:>ori..non they uill he rendered eleau and innocuous in a I'ew minutes. ->ir May ha.-. patented his process, v> hieli lias beui taken up for commercial pnrpo-es hy a strong syndicate.