THE BACTERIOLOGICAL IMPURITIES OF VACCINE VIRUS. AN 
EXPERIMENTAL STUDY. 
(By Milton J. Eosenau, Director of the Hygienic Laboratory, Passed Assistant 
Surgeon, U. S. Public Health and Marine-Hospital SerAuce. ) 
OBJECT OF THE AVORK. 
The widespread preTalence of smallpox in our countiy during the 
past few years gax^e abundant opportunity^ to corroborate the great 
prophylactic value of vaccination. Hundreds of thousands of vaccina- 
tions have been performed during this period with v^ery satisfactory 
and beneficial results. However, we were not surprised to hear of 
some accidents and complications. There were sore arms and a few 
fatalities resulting from wound complications. 
The question immediately^ arose whether the cause of these compli- 
cations was contained in the vaccinal matter or whether it resulted 
from subsequent contamination of the wound from outside sources. 
Clinical studies can not be depended upon to settle this question, 
because infected “takes” may result from other causes than a con- 
tamination of the virus. 
To determine this question, therefore, we made bacteriological 
studies of the number and kinds of micro-organisms that contaminate 
the different makes of vaccine virus found on the open market. In 
our studies special attention was given to the pus cocci and to tetanus. 
W e were rather surprised in visiting some of the vaccine farms to 
find that the operators permitted a certain degree of carelessness in 
preparing’ and collecting material for the glycerinated virus, trusting, 
as they" stated, “to the gly^cerin to take out the impurities.” This 
opinion of the exalted power of gly^cerin we have shown to be based 
upon error. GHcerin will destroy" a certain number of bacterial im- 
purities, but it is impotent against gross contamination or spores. 
Our studies of the germicidal power of glycerin will be made the sub- 
ject of another paper. 
All the vaccines examined were purchased in the open market from 
reliable pharmacists, who keep the virus under suitable conditions of 
light and temperature. Our results therefore represent the impurities 
found in the vaccine virus sold to the practitioner. 
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