First published in The Age on October 18, 1962
Serum Flown Over Tasman to Save Sight of Student
A rare serum, flown across the Tasman Sea yesterday in an emergency flight to try to save the sight of one eye of a New Zealand medical student, reached Dunedin Hospital last night – right on time.
A representative of the John Curtin School of Medicine hands the package of drugs to pilot J. Perret. At left is the plane’s navigator, Flight-Lieutenant C. Whitely.Credit:The Age Archives
The dramatic race against time began yesterday morning when the fourth-year medical student at Otago University, Colin B. Fitzpatrick, 21, of Auckland, was accidentally splashed with vaccinius virus, the vaccination strain of the deadly smallpox, in his left eye.
As the virus multiplies itself 500 times every 10 hours this meant the antidote had to reach the student within 10 hours if the eye were to be saved.
First Use
The antidote, interferon, and two rare chemicals never used before on humans left Canberra in an R.A.A.F. Canberra bomber at 4.12 pm.
The bomber reached Christchurch soon after 7 pm, where a Royal New Zealand Air Force Devon aircraft sped the parcel 160 miles to the smaller airport at Oamaru.
A car then rushed the serum to Dunedin Hospital.
The student was working in the department of microbiology at the Otago University Medical School when the accident occurred.
Medical authorities there immediately put through an emergency call to the John Curtin School of Medicine in Canberra, which is the only source of the antidote outside of the United States.
Research scientists found that the school’s last supply of the virus was exhausted in 1960. They then turned to the C.S.I.R.O to see if it could help.
Dr C. I. Davern, of the C.S.I.R.O’s plant industry section, discovered he had a small quantity of the antidote. The R.A.A.F. was alerted and at 2 pm the R.A.A.F. bomber took off from Amberley base, Queensland for Canberra.
Fitzpatrick was in good cheer last night although he will not know definitely whether there will be any ill effects for another 10 days.
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