The Mind Creative OCT 2013
Later on I was in charge of
manufacturing live polio
vaccine (diluting the live
attenuated Sabin vaccine
stocks in sucrose) at the
Haffkine Institute, Bombay. We
fed this to children every
Saturday and this considerably
reduced the incidence of
poliomyelitis in Bombay. When
Sabin passed away in 1993
aged 87, it was a personal loss
to me, as it was to scientists
and humanity.
When diluting Sabin’s vaccine stocks in autoclaved sucrose at the
Haffkine Institute in 1960s, I had requested my three assistants NOT
to talk, as bacterial contamination would make the vaccine
hazardous. We took the necessary precautions like wearing aprons
and masks when dispensing the vaccine in small sterile vials. As this
was done before Biohazard Cabinet days, we had to use Bunsen
burners.
“No talking under any circumstance. NO TALKING”, I repeated every
time before we started the dispensing. One day, during this
procedure, I felt hot, VERY HOT and could not bear the heat.
I blurted out “It’s SO HOT!” Immediately my assistants threw me on
the floor, started beating me up and even poured water on me!
“Please. I am sorry I broke my own rule but there is no need to be
so violent,” I pleaded.
It was then that I realized that my apron had touched the Bunsen
burner and the back of my apron was on fire, literally!
“Thank you”, I wrote to them on a piece of paper.
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