ANTISEPTIC SURGERY 167 



lower its temperature. Then he inoculated it with 

 a culture of anthrax bacilli. The next day the hen 

 died. "All its blood," said Pasteur, "the spleen, 

 lungs, and liver, are rilled with the bacilli of an- 

 thrax susceptible of further cultures either in inert 

 liquids or in the bodies of animals. Up to the 

 present time we have not met with a single excep- 

 tion." 



There had been considerable controversy in the 

 Academy of Medicine over the cause of anthrax, 

 and the question of the immunity of the fowl had 

 been under dispute. The Academicians were prob- 

 ably somewhat surprised to see Pasteur come into 

 one of the meetings with a cage containing four 

 hens which he placed on the desk. In his account 

 of his curious exhibit he stated that the dead hen 

 had been inoculated, after being chilled, with five 

 drops of a culture of anthrax three days before. 

 To obviate the objection that the cold bath and not 

 the germ had been the cause of death, another hen, 

 which was perfectly healthy, was exhibited, which 

 had been chilled but not inoculated. The third 

 hen, also in good spirits, had been inoculated with- 

 out having had its temperature reduced and was 

 enjoying the effect of its natural immunity. The 

 fourth hen was reserved for a further experiment. 



