THE MICROSCOPE. 



that Koch's bacilli are nothing more than margaric acid crystals, 

 Dr. C. says there is as much difference between these crystals and 

 the bacilli as there is between a tree and an iron lamp post. After 

 indulging in various other such little pleasantries at Dr. S.'s expense, 

 Dr. C. closes his criticism with the following sentiment: "We 

 would earnestly recommend the author of this valuable contribu- 

 tion to medical science to read a few of the articles in bacteria 

 literature that have lately appeared; that of Koch in the Mitthei- 

 lungen or some of Weigert's articles in Virchow's Archirs, then to 

 commence his studies with the micrococci and other simple forms, 

 studying the characteristics of each as he goes along: then to try 

 and get some of the tissue from anthrax and study the bacilli there, 

 and gradually approach the higher and more difficult fields of 

 microscopic art. If he will do this, we feel quite sure that in a 

 short time he will gladly retire from circulation such copies of the 

 December number of the Chicago Medical Journal as he can get 

 his hands on." — Medical Age. 



Vaccination tx Malignant Charbon. — When the results 

 obtained by M. Pasteur through the inoculation of the attenuated 

 virus of malignant charbon were published, it was considered a 

 scientific experiment, and but few thought that any practical benefit 

 wouM accrue therefrom. The report recently presented to the vet- 

 erinary society ot the department of Eure-et-Loire, show that these 

 vaccinations, practiced on a large scale, have given unexpected 

 results. The number of sheep vaccinated in this department was 

 79,312; the annual loss of these flocks amounted to 7,237 animals, 

 or about 9 percent.; since vaccination but 518 animals have per- 

 ished, or about -^ ( f fl of 1 per cent. 



It is true that the general mortality from charbon among the 

 sheep in the department was lower than usual (about 3 per cent.), so 

 that the loss among these 79,312 sheep would have been 2,382 

 instead of 518 after vaccination. 



In flocks partly protected, the mortality among 2,308 vaccin- 

 ated animals was 8, or T 4 ff of 1 percent.; and among 1,659 non- 

 vaccinated, 60, or 3-^ per cent. In these flocks the vaccinated and 

 unvaccinated were under exactly similar conditions as regarded food, 

 stable, temperature, etc. 



The veterinary surgeons vaccinated 4.652 cattle, among which 



