568 THE BACTERIOPHAGE AND ITS BEHAVIOR 



specimen of rat excreta collected at Bac-Lieu after an epidemic of plague, 

 possessed from the beginning a high virulence (+ ++), which became 

 very high indeed (+ + + +) at the second passage with a strain of 

 B. pestis. 



In order to determine the toxicity of the Pestis-bacteriophage a 

 guinea pig was injected subcutaneously with 1 cc. of the filtered sus- 

 pension. There was no apparent disturbance. I then injected 1 cc. 

 subcutaneously into my own arm. The general reaction was practically 

 negative,^ — perfectly normal sleep during the following night, a slight 

 headache in the morning which disappeared immediately after taking 

 1 gr. of aspirin. The local reaction, which lasted for 48 hours, con- 

 sisted of a slight edema, and the point of injection was somewhat tender. 

 In all respects, the reaction to the filtrate was definitely less marked 

 than that following an injection of heat-killed cultures of B. pestis. 



As a result of this test I felt warranted in attempting to use the 

 Pestis-bacteriophage in the treatment of plague in human beings. 

 Unfortunately, I had succeeded in isolating races of the bacteriophage 

 highly virulent for B. pestis only a very short time before my departure 

 from Indo-China, so that it was impossible for me to make the desired 

 tests. I gave Dr. Galinier, Colonial Physician at Phantiet, where 

 plague is endemic, a dozen ampoules of the bacteriophage, asking him 

 to inject, subcutaneously, 1 cc. of the suspension into some patients 

 with bubonic plague. Shortly after my return to Paris I received a 

 cablegram, requesting that, in view of the excellent results secured, I 

 send him more of the suspension. Having learned in the meantime 

 that he had received instructions to inject anti-plague serum conjointly 

 with the bacteriophage I did not think it wise to continue the tests 

 under these conditions. 



As though to provide the material needful to reaching a conclusion 

 on this question of bacteriophagic treatment in plague, there have ap- 

 peared, just as I am writing this present chapter, three cases of plague 

 on board a steamship here in the port of Alexandria. These three 

 patients were removed to the hospital of the Quarantine Station, where 

 I have been able to treat them. A few days later a fourth case was 

 discovered and removed from another ship. 



The suspensions used for the treatment were prepared in the following 

 manner: To 10 cc. of a culture of B. pestis in bouillon, 24 hours old (pH 

 of the medium, 7.6; incubation at 32°C.) were added 3 cc. of fresh bouil- 

 lon, and this was then inoculated with 0.02 cc. of a bacteriophage sus- 



