20 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 
Both are busy building up theories ; but, better still, both are 
collecting facts, and from an impartial examination of the 
work done in the two camps, it appears to be probable that 
ultimately they will be drawn closer and closer together until 
they actually unite. Secondly, we have what has been 
described as the antidotal method of treatment, in which it 
is supposed that one poison may be made to interfere with 
the action of another. For instance, the soluble products of 
the organism which is found in blue pus (the Bacvllus 
pyocyaneus), if injected systematically, protects an animal 
against a considerable dose of anthrax. How this acts it is 
difficult to say, but we appear to have evidence that an 
antidotal action between the blue pus material and the 
anthrax poison may be exerted. The third method is that 
in which we attempt to kill the organisms outright in the 
system; but so far as we can make out at present it is impos- 
sible to achieve this without the assistance of the living cells 
of the body, as any substances which are capable of killing 
the organism, when introduced in sufficient strength into the 
fluids of the body, unless they have a specific action, would 
also kill the cells of which the tissues are composed, so that 
for the present this method need not be very seriously 
considered, until further laboratory experiments have been 
conducted. 
Within the last few days, as the outcome of Koch’s patient 
work, there has been added to this number a fourth method 
of treatment of diseases associated with the presence of 
micro-organisms. He goes on the plan of depriving the 
micro-organisms of their pabulum, and so practically starves 
them to death, in place of killing them off directly. As 
this is a question of considerable interest at the present 
moment, let us see what is the basis on which Koch is 
working. To begin with, it is to be understood that the 
tubercle vaccine prepared by Koch is not capable of per- 
forming all that has been claimed for it by too ardent 
disciples, and even Koch himself distinctly warns those 
suffering from phthisis that they must not raise to too high a 
point their hopes of being benefited by it. We must assume 
from the nature of tuberculous disease, even accepting his 
