87* THE LIFE OF PASTEUR 



script letter of seventeen pages, to send you from Paris, in writ- 

 ing, preliminary explanations of all that I should have to 

 demonstrate in Turin. 



" Eeally, what is the good? Would not that lead to 

 endless discussions? It is because of the uselessness of 

 a written controversy that I have placed myself at your 

 disposal. 



" I have once more the honour of asking you to inform me 

 whether you accept the proposal made to you on April 9, that I 

 should go to Turin to place before your eyes the proofs of the 

 facts I have just mentioned. 



" P.S. In order not to complicate the debate, I do not dwell 

 upon the many erroneous quotations and statements contained 

 in your letter." 



M. Roux began to prepare an interesting curriculum of 

 experiments to be carried out at Turin. But the Turin pro- 

 fessors wrote a disagreeable letter, published a little pamphlet 

 entitled Of the Scientific Dogmatism of the Illustrious 

 Professor Pasteur, and things remained as they were. 



All these discussions, renewed on so many divers points, were 

 not altogether a waste of time ; some of them bore fruitful 

 results by causing most decisive proofs to be sought for. It 

 has also made the path of Pasteur's followers wider and 

 smoother that he himself should have borne the brunt of the 

 first opposition. 



In the meanwhile, testimonials of gratitude continued to 

 pour in from the agricultors and veterinary surgeons who had 

 seen the results of two years' practice of the vaccination against 

 anthrax. 



In the year 1882, 613,740 sheep and 83,946 oxen had been 

 vaccinated. The Department of the Cantal which had before 

 lost about 3,000,000 fr. every year, desired in June, 1883, on 

 the occasion of an agricultural show, to give M. Pasteur a 

 special acknowledgement of their gratitude. It consisted of 

 a cup of silver-plated bronze, ornamented with a group of 

 cattle. Behind the group imitating in this the town of 

 Aubenas, who had made a microscope figure as an attribute of 

 honour was represented, in small proportions, an instrument 

 which found itself for the first time raised to such an exalted 

 position, the little syringe used for inoculations. 



Pasteur was much pressed to come himself and receive this 

 offering from a land which would henceforth owe its fortune to 



