| Heroes in Microbiology 1925 Serum Run to Nome |
"Nome calling, Nome calling. We have an outbreak of diphtheria"
was the beginning of a frantic radio telegraph message. The
only doctor in Nome, Curtis Welch, had diagnosed this very
contagious disease. The year was 1925, well before a vaccine
for diptheria was developed, and prior to the discovery of
antibiotics. At that time, the only cure was diptheria antitoxin. The
local doctor had only a small amount of expired antitoxin. It was
feared that without a supply of more antitoxin, an epidemic was
inevitable. But it was January, and during the winter, Nome was
isolated from the rest of the world by 650 miles of frozen tundra.
Was there a way to get the antitoxin quickly enough to Nome?
Airplanes in those days could not travel the frozen, snowy route
during that time of year.
The alternative to airplanes was the train. Anchorage could send
a twenty pound package of serum by rail to Nenana, and then ...
the only way to get it to Nome would be by dog sled along the
Iditarod trail. But could that be done in time? Three children had
already died, and many more cases were being diagnosed.
The dogsled trail was the only way to get supplies to Nome in the
winter. In order for dog mush teams to travel, there had to be
overnight stops every 20 miles or so. It took about a month to
travel the route with a dog sled. Good lead dogs were valuable.
Each dog was important, but it was the lead that had to be the
bravest and most clever at finding and keeping to the trail
was the beginning of a frantic radio telegraph message. The
only doctor in Nome, Curtis Welch, had diagnosed this very
contagious disease. The year was 1925, well before a vaccine
for diptheria was developed, and prior to the discovery of
antibiotics. At that time, the only cure was diptheria antitoxin. The
local doctor had only a small amount of expired antitoxin. It was
feared that without a supply of more antitoxin, an epidemic was
inevitable. But it was January, and during the winter, Nome was
isolated from the rest of the world by 650 miles of frozen tundra.
Was there a way to get the antitoxin quickly enough to Nome?
Airplanes in those days could not travel the frozen, snowy route
during that time of year.
The alternative to airplanes was the train. Anchorage could send
a twenty pound package of serum by rail to Nenana, and then ...
the only way to get it to Nome would be by dog sled along the
Iditarod trail. But could that be done in time? Three children had
already died, and many more cases were being diagnosed.
The dogsled trail was the only way to get supplies to Nome in the
winter. In order for dog mush teams to travel, there had to be
overnight stops every 20 miles or so. It took about a month to
travel the route with a dog sled. Good lead dogs were valuable.
Each dog was important, but it was the lead that had to be the
bravest and most clever at finding and keeping to the trail
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