202 BACTERIA IN DAILY LIFE 



natives in India to revenge themselves on their 

 enemies in poisoning their cattle. Immunising 

 serums of various kinds were selected for testing 

 their protective action on animals poisoned with 

 abrine, and it was found that anti-tetanic, anti- 

 diphtheritic, anti-anthrax, and anti-cholera serums 

 all individually exerted a decided immunising 

 action with regard to this powerful vegetable 

 poison. The hope is, therefore, perhaps not 

 beyond the realm of possibility, that at some 

 future time the complexity of drugs which now 

 figure in the chemists' pharmacopoeia may be 

 replaced by a few substances the application of 

 which will come within the means and under- 

 standing of all. So far we have not dealt with 

 the artificial immunisation of an animal from the 

 action of eel poison, but this apparently offers 

 very little difficulty, and is accomplished by 

 introducing very small and gradually increasing 

 doses of eel serum into the system, care being 

 taken to proportion the quantity given according 

 to the weight and general condition of the animal 

 to be immunised. A rabbit, for example, treated 

 in the above manner, subsequently yielded a 

 serum which was proved to possess both preven- 

 tive and curative powers in respect to both eel 

 poison, and viper venom and blood, entitling this 

 so called anti-eel serum to take its place amongst 



