212 LOUIS PASTEUR 



beings. To the Emperor of Brazil he wrote, "Even 

 when I have multiplied examples of prophylaxis of 

 rabies in dogs, I believe that my hand will tremble 

 when it comes to deal with man." He had thought 

 of proposing that experiments be tried first on con- 

 demned criminals, giving the criminal the option 

 between suffering his sentence and inoculation with 

 hydrophobia, subsequent treatment, and his free- 

 dom if the treatment were successful. There was, 

 however, no way in which this could be done in 

 accordance with existing laws. What dangers 

 might attend the introduction of the attenuated 

 virus into the new soil of the human body could 

 not be foreseen. The preparation used doubtless 

 contained the living though weakened germs of this 

 horrible disease. Persons bitten by a rabid animal 

 do not always contract rabies; in fact statistics 

 placed the proportion developing the disease from 

 sixteen to twenty-five percent. There was the 

 possibility that the person treated might be given 

 hydrophobia by the preventive inoculations, and 

 that he would not contract it if he were let alone. 

 The responsibility of applying the treatment to a 

 human being was therefore a grave one. A failure 

 would be a calamity which could not fail to arouse 

 public condemnation. And yet people were not 



