SlO Manual of Veterinary Microbiology. 



had lost virulence for the rabbit seven days before ; 

 on the following days inoculations were made with 

 cords which had been subjected to a less lengthened 

 desiccation and, finally, with the virulent cord. The 

 latter was inserted under the skin, in the blood, or in 

 the cranial cavity; some of these vaccinated rabbits 

 were subjected to bites of rabid dogs ; these differ- 

 ent virulent inoculations produced no effects, and the 

 persistence of the refractory state was verified several 

 years later. 



Pasteurian vaccination. — The period of incubation of 

 of rabies after bites being quite lengthy, Pasteur con- 

 ceived the idea of vaccinating, during this period, the 

 subject which had received the bite, with tlie view of 

 preventing the invasion of the disease. Experience 

 has justified this illustrious savant in his belief. He 

 has succeeded, by means of a series of dried cords, 

 in vaccinating bitten dogs and even dogs which had 

 been inoculated by trephining. It is evident that 

 such preventive inoculations should be made as soon 

 as possible in order that the refractory state be estab- 

 lished before the active virus attains the nerve cen- 

 ters. The results obtained in animals have served as 

 a basis for the method of preventing rabies after bites 

 in the human species, a method which is now applied 

 in several establishments, and the beneficial resuhs 

 of which are no longer contested. Statistics show 

 that the mortality from rabies in man has fallen from 

 16 per cent to 0-67 per cent. 



Prevention of rabies after bites in ruminants. — M. 

 Galtier has shown that the intra-venous injection of 

 ruminants with the virus of street rabies does not 

 communicate the disease but confers immunity. This 



