Infectious Disease, Allergy, and Immunotherapy Collections

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The museum’s collections contain many objects that document antibody-based methods of preventing, treating, or diagnosing disease, but which have not yet been given their own disease-specific section on this website. This section provides an overview of a few of these other types of vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics.

Be sure to see the full range of these widely varied objects in the attached object records after the essay.

Therapies, Vaccines, and Diagnostics Not Covered in Disease-Specific Website Sections

Numerous serums and antitoxins developed to fight diseases such as scarlet fever, dysentery, and botulism are held by the museum. Other examples include anti-pneumococcic serum to treat pneumonia, anti-meningococcic serum to treat meningitis, and perfringens antitoxin to treat gas gangrene.

Collection of antitoxins and serums

Botulism Antitoxin, F(ab), 1990. Scarlet Fever Streptococcus Antitoxin – Concentrated, ca 1929. Serum Antidysenterique (Anti Dysentery Serum), ca 1900-1920.

The collections also include vaccines against plague, hookworm, and anthrax, recombinant vaccines to prevent hepatitis B, and vaccines intended to prevent cholera.

Collection of vaccines and immunizations

Hookworm Vaccine, New drug limited by Federal Law to investigative use only, 2004. Mulford Southern Brand V23 - Anthrax Spore Vaccine No. 4 - for Immunization of Horses, Mules, Cattle, and Sheep, ca 1957. Recombivax HB, Hepatitis B Vaccine (Recombinant), ca 1988.

Diagnostics that test the body’s immunity to disease are well-represented in the collections. The museum has also collected antibody-based tests that can diagnose whether health risks, such as plague, are present in the environment.

Streptococcus Toxin for Dick Test, ca 1947
- Antigen Rapid Test for Yersinia pestis

Streptococcus Toxin for Dick Test, ca 1947, used to determine susceptibility to scarlet fever. SMART Yersinia pestis Anti F-1 Detection Kit for Environmental Sampling - Antigen Rapid Test for Yersinia pestis, ca 1998, tests for the presence of plague.

Allergy

Mulford Fall Pollen Mixture

Mulford Fall Pollen Mixture - Pollen Extract Made from the Pollens of Ragweed, English Plantain and Lamb's Quarters.

From the 1920s to the 1950s, pharmaceutical companies such as Lederle, H.K. Mulford, Sharpe & Dohme, and Parke, Davis & Co. produced a wide range of products intended to test for, treat, and even prevent allergies to common environmental irritants such as house dust, animal proteins, foods, poison ivy and oak, and an abundant variety of pollens. These products represent the period’s general excitement around the idea that immunizations might be able to prevent a multitude of health problems. The objects also document early research into the part antibodies and immunity play in allergic reactions.

Ivyol - Poison Ivy Extract
Test Board of Dried Proteins

Ivyol - Poison Ivy Extract - for the Prophylaxis of Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and Poison Sumac Dermatitis, ca 1957. Test Board of Dried Proteins Used for Skin Tests for the Diagnosis of Allergies, ca 1922.

Immunotherapy

Coley's Mixture

Coley's Mixture - A Mixed Culture of Streptococcus Pyogenes and Bacillus Prodigiosus, Parke, Davis and Company, 1898

Early research into immunotherapy and cancer treatment is documented in the museum’s collections. One example is Coley’s Mixture, a bacterial mixture manufactured by Parke, Davis & Co. “for the treatment of malignant neoplasms, particularly sarcoma.” The product was inspired by the work of William B. Coley, who in 1891 provided one of the first proofs of the potential value of immunotherapy when he treated a patient with cancer by causing an infection at the site of the tumor through an injection of streptococcus bacteria.

Some of the collection’s more unusual objects offer insight into a period in American medical research when the potential of immunotherapies was being probed and tested. “Immunogen” treatments for streptococcal arthritis and bee venom solution for diagnosis and treatment of arthritis are just a few examples of such objects in the collections.

Streptococcus Immunogen Arthritis
Lyovac Bee Venom Solution

Streptococcus Immunogen Arthritis - Bacterial Antigen made from 2000 million per cc. hemolytic and non-hemolytic Streptococci isolated from rheumatic cases, ca 1937. Lyovac Bee Venom Solution for Diagnosis and Treatment of Arthritis, ca 1955.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1929
maker
H. K. Mulford Company
ID Number
MG.M-02691
catalog number
M-02691
accession number
107349
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
New Horizons Diagnostics Corporation
ID Number
1998.0308.03
catalog number
1998.0308.03
accession number
1998.0308
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1955
expiration date
1955-10-25
maker
Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
1978.0882.78
accession number
1978.0882
catalog number
1978.0882.78
Recombivax HB is a vaccine that provides immunization against Hepatitis B. It is injected intramuscularly. Recombivax HB is the first recombinant vaccine.
Description (Brief)
Recombivax HB is a vaccine that provides immunization against Hepatitis B. It is injected intramuscularly. Recombivax HB is the first recombinant vaccine. Prior hepatitis B vaccines relied on viruses derived from human blood sources.
Recombinant pharmaceuticals are created by inserting genes from one species into a host species, often yeast or bacteria, where they do not naturally occur. The genes code for a desired product, and therefore the genetically modified host organisms can be grown and used as a kind of living factory to produce the product. In this case, genes coding for the hepatitus B virus's surface antigen are inserted into yeast. Yeast produce the hepatitis B surface antigens, which are harvested and used as the active ingredient in Recombivax HB. Surface antigens are the part of the hepatitis B virus that the body recognizes to create an immune response. After being exposed to the antigen, the body learns to identify and respond quickly to the presence of hepatitis B and can successfully ward off future possible infections.
Object consists of a white cardboard box with red stripes and light blue, red and black printing. Box contains product insert and round clear glass bottle with green metal top and white label. Bottle contains clear solution.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1986
product expiration date
1988-06-19
maker
Merck Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
1987.0782.02
accession number
1987.0782
catalog number
1987.0782.02
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1938
maker
Parke, Davis and Company
ID Number
MG.M-04681
catalog number
M-04681
accession number
147292
Recombivax HB is a vaccine that provides immunization against hepatitis B. It is injected intramuscularly. Recombivax HB is the first recombinant vaccine.
Description (Brief)
Recombivax HB is a vaccine that provides immunization against hepatitis B. It is injected intramuscularly. Recombivax HB is the first recombinant vaccine. Prior hepatitis B vaccines relied on viruses derived from human blood sources.
Recombinant pharmaceuticals are created by inserting genes from one species into a host species, often yeast or bacteria, where they do not naturally occur. The genes code for a desired product, and therefore the genetically modified host organisms can be grown and used as a kind of living factory to produce the product. In this case, genes coding for the hepatitis B virus's surface antigen are inserted into yeast. Yeast produce the hepatitis B surface antigens, which are harvested and used as the active ingredient in Recombivax HB. Surface antigens are the part of the hepatitis B virus that the body recognizes to create an immune response. After being exposed to the antigen, the body learns to identify and respond quickly to the presence of hepatitis B and can successfully ward off future possible infections.
Object consists of a white cardboard box with light blue stripes and light blue, red, and black printing. Box contains a product insert and a round clear glass bottle with metal top and white label. Bottle contains clear solution.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1988
product expiration date
1988-05-14
maker
Merck Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
1987.0782.01
accession number
1987.0782
catalog number
1987.0782.01
White cardboard sign with black print. "MENINGITIS / (Cerebrospinal Meningitis--epidemic) / Isolation of patient for minimum of 2 weeks from onset. / Exposed children excluded from school for 14 days from / last contact. / McPherson County Health Department"Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
White cardboard sign with black print. "MENINGITIS / (Cerebrospinal Meningitis--epidemic) / Isolation of patient for minimum of 2 weeks from onset. / Exposed children excluded from school for 14 days from / last contact. / McPherson County Health Department"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950
user
Pierson, Weir
ID Number
2013.3021.04
nonaccession number
2013.3021
catalog number
2013.3021.04
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2004-04-16
maker
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
ID Number
2004.0132.1
accession number
2004.0132
catalog number
2004.0132.1
In 1983–84, both Dr. Luc Montagnier, Pasteur Institute, Paris, and Dr. Robert Gallo, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, discovered HIV.
Description
In 1983–84, both Dr. Luc Montagnier, Pasteur Institute, Paris, and Dr. Robert Gallo, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, discovered HIV. They resolved the dispute over priority by sharing recognition as co-discoverers and co-patentees of the test kit, and by the equal sharing of all royalties. In 1983 Dr. Jay Levy and his colleagues at the University of Califonia at San Francisco also isolated the virus. Levy used this equipment to collect cell cultures and tally cells during his HIV research.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Corning
ID Number
1999.0286.03
accession number
1999.0286
catalog number
1999.0286.03
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0184.005
accession number
2017.0184
catalog number
2017.0184.005
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1929
maker
H. K. Mulford Company
ID Number
MG.M-02698
catalog number
M-02698
accession number
107349
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950
user
Pierson, Weir
ID Number
2013.3021.05
nonaccession number
2013.3021
catalog number
2013.3021.05
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1952
expiration date
1952-04-23
maker
American Cyanamid Company. Lederle Laboratories Division
ID Number
1978.0882.75
accession number
1978.0882
catalog number
1978.0882.75
First Flight was a thoroughbred horse that was transformed by scientists into a living factory to produce botulism antitoxin from the late 1970s through the 1990s.Originally a race horse, First Flight later worked as a caisson horse in military funerals at Arlington National Cere
Description (Brief)
First Flight was a thoroughbred horse that was transformed by scientists into a living factory to produce botulism antitoxin from the late 1970s through the 1990s.
Originally a race horse, First Flight later worked as a caisson horse in military funerals at Arlington National Ceremony. After serving for a time in this capacity, he was found to be too skittish. In 1978, at the age of 10 years, First Flight was transferred to the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, Maryland.
Scientists at USAMRIID undertake defense research against biological weapons, and while there First Flight participated in efforts to produce a countermeasure against attack with botulinum toxin. As the most powerful natural poison known to exist, botulinum represents one of the greatest threats for biological warfare. Produced by the bacteria Clostradium botulinum, the toxin is responsible for botulism, a disease which results in paralysis and often death if not treated. (The powers of botulinum are also put to work in the popular drug Botox, which, when injected, reduces the appearance of wrinkles by paralyzing facial muscles.)
Researchers harnessed the power of First Flight’s immune system to produce the antitoxin. They injected him with altered less-toxic forms of the botulinum toxin in order to induce his body to produce antibodies against the attack. Antibodies are small, disease-specific proteins the body produces in order to recognize and help fight invading infectious agents. After First Flight produced sufficient botulinum antibodies to protect himself, scientists injected him with the real toxin, which boosted his production of antibodies even further.
First Flight was then carefully bled to obtain the antibodies from his blood. These antibodies, contained in his blood plasma, made up the key ingredient in antitoxin serum. Once purified, the serum could be injected into humans suffering from botulism in order to neutralize the effects of the botulinum toxin. This form of treatment, known as serum therapy, has been practiced since the late 19th century, when it was important in the fight against rabies, diphtheria, tetanus, and other illnesses.
In 1980 First Flight moved to a new home at the University of Minnesota Medical School, which specialized in harvesting horse antibodies. Nearly 16,000 liters of blood were removed from First Flight during his time at Minnesota, and he became the nation’s sole source of antitoxin against all seven forms of botulinum toxin. With the start of the Gulf War in 1991, First Flight’s antitoxin was shipped to Saudi Arabia to be at hand should Saddam Hussein order the use of botulinum toxin to attack U.S. troops. Thankfully, the serum did not need to be used.
First Flight eventually retired from service and returned to Fort Detrick, where he died at age 31 in his paddock on May 17, 1999, of natural causes.
Sources:
Accession File
“Race for a Remedy.” Crowley, Carolyn. Smithsonian Magazine. December 2000.
“Botulinum Toxin (Botulism) Fact Sheet.” University of Pittsburg Medical Center for Health Security. http://www.upmchealthsecurity.org/website/our_work/biological-threats-and-epidemics/fact_sheets/botulinum.html
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1990-09-14
maker
University of Minnesota
ID Number
2001.0131.02
catalog number
2001.0131.02
accession number
2001.0131
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca1890
user
U.S. Public Health Service
maker
unknown
ID Number
1980.0349.12
accession number
1980.0349
catalog number
1980.0349.12
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1947
maker
Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
MG.176974.11
catalog number
176974.11
accession number
176974
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1947
maker
Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
MG.176974.12
catalog number
176974.12
accession number
176974
An inscription on the cardboard box reads in part, “THE KEIDEL VACUUM BLEEDING TUBE / FOR THE QUICK AND ASEPTIC COLLECTION OF BLOOD FOR THE WASSERMANN AND OTHER REACTIONS.” The Wasserman test for syphilis was developed at the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases, in 1906
Description
An inscription on the cardboard box reads in part, “THE KEIDEL VACUUM BLEEDING TUBE / FOR THE QUICK AND ASEPTIC COLLECTION OF BLOOD FOR THE WASSERMANN AND OTHER REACTIONS.” The Wasserman test for syphilis was developed at the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases, in 1906, and named for August Paul von Wassermann (1866-1925), a German bacteriologist. Albert Keidel (1877-1942), a physician affiliated with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, designed the form of this tube.
Ref: Albert Keidel, “A Sample Bleeding Tube for Obtaining Specimens for the Wasserman Reaction,” Journal of the American Medical Association 58 (1912): 1579.
Testing blood serum for the presence of antibodies required specialized tools and techniques for collecting blood samples without introducing contaminants. The Keidel Vacuum Bleeding Tube, introduced around 1915, provided one solution. Each sterile package contained a needle attached via a short rubber tube to a sealed glass vacuum tube. After the needle was inserted into the vein, the seal was broken, allowing blood to be drawn quickly into the glass tube. The sample could then be resealed and sent to the laboratory for testing. The Keidel device was marketed particularly for the Wassermann test—a serological test for syphilis developed in 1906. The diagnostic test aided public health departments in their efforts to control the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1915-1920
maker
Hynson, Westcott & Dunning, Incorporated
ID Number
2002.0224.16
catalog number
2002.0224.16
accession number
2002.0224
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1947
maker
Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
MG.176974.13
catalog number
176974.13
accession number
176974
Hypodermic syringe with steel case and needle designed by Charles Joseph Tagliabue in New York, and probably produced by the C. J. Tagliabue Mfg. Co. One inscription reads “PARKE DAVIS & CO. / PAT AUG 25 1885.” Another reads “PARKE, DAVIS & CO. / DETROIT, MICH.”Ref: Charles J.
Description
Hypodermic syringe with steel case and needle designed by Charles Joseph Tagliabue in New York, and probably produced by the C. J. Tagliabue Mfg. Co. One inscription reads “PARKE DAVIS & CO. / PAT AUG 25 1885.” Another reads “PARKE, DAVIS & CO. / DETROIT, MICH.”
Ref: Charles J. Tagliabue, “Syringe,” U.S. Patent 325,132 (Aug. 25, 1885).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1898
maker
Parke, Davis and Company
Tagliabue, Charles J.
ID Number
MG.302606.230
accession number
302606
catalog number
302606.230
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1947
maker
Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
MG.176974.18
catalog number
176974.18
accession number
176974
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1947
maker
Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
MG.176974.14
catalog number
176974.14
accession number
176974
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1947
maker
Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
MG.176974.15
catalog number
176974.15
accession number
176974
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930s
collection
Reid Drugstore
maker
Abbott Laboratories
ID Number
1984.0351.242
accession number
1984.0351
catalog number
1984.0351.242

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