Bacteriologic Diagnosis 301 



tical measure for the protective vaccination of cattle against the 

 disease, and devoted himself to investigating the problem. He 

 found that the inoculation of attenuated bacilli into cows and sheep, 

 and their subsequent reinoculation with mildly virulent bacilli, 

 afforded them immunity against highly virulent organisms. 



The protective inoculations prepared by Pasteur consisted of 

 two cultures of diminished virulence, to be employed one after the 

 other, each rendering the vaccinated animals more immune. The 

 cultures were prepared, that is, attenuated by cultivation at 42 C. 

 for a sufficient length of time, the bacilli forming no spores and 

 gradually losing their virulence at this temperature. The first 

 vaccine was kept from fifteen to twenty days at 42C. It killed 

 mice and guinea-pigs one day old, but was without action on guinea- 

 pigs of adult size. The second vaccine only remained at the tem- 

 perature of 42C. for from ten to twelve days and killed mice, 

 guinea-pigs and occasionally rabbits. 



The second vaccine is administered from two to three weeks after 

 the first is given, by hypodermic injection into the tissues of the neck 

 or flank. Of each broth culture about i cc. is administered. The 

 animals frequently become ill. 



Pasteur demonstrated the value of his method in 1881 at Pouilly- 

 le-Fort, in a manner so convincing to the entire world that it was 

 immediately put into practice in France. Roger* says that between 

 1882 and 1894 there were 1,788,677 sheep vaccinated, with a mor- 

 tality of 0.94 per cent., the previous death-rate having been 10 per 

 cent. There were also 200,962 cattle vaccinated, with a reduction 

 of the death-rate from 5 per cent, to 0.34 per cent. 



Slight protection against anthrax can be afforded in other ways. 

 Hiippe found that the simultaneous inoculation of bacteria not at all 

 related to anthrax will sometimes cause the animal to recover. Han- 

 kin found in the cultures chemic substances, especially an albuminose, 

 that exerted a protective influence. Rettgerf prepared " prodigiosus 

 powder" from potato cultures of B. prodigiosus, which when in- 

 jected into guinea-pigs during experimental anthrax infection pro- 

 longed life or induced recovery. 



Serum Therapy. In 1890 Ogata and Jasuhara showed that the 

 blood of experiment animals convalescent from anthrax possessed 

 an antitoxic substance of such strength that i : 800 parts per body- 

 weight would protect a mouse. Similar results have been attained 

 by Marchoux.J Serum therapy in anthrax is, however, of no prac- 

 tical importance either for prophylaxis or treatment, as vaccinating 

 the animals is far cheaper and more satisfactory. 



Bacteriologic Diagnosis. When it is desired to have a bacterio- 

 logic diagnosis of anthrax made where no laboratory facilities are at 



*Les Maladies Infectieuse, n, p. 1489. 



t "Jour, of Infectious Diseases," Nov. 25, 1905, vol. n, No. 4, p. S 62 - 



I "Ann. de 1'Inst. Pasteur," November, 1895, ix, No. n, pp. 5-75- 



