ANIMALS AFTER INOCULATION. 227 



from which these charts were made were not inoculated, 

 nor were they subjected to any operative procedures 

 whatever, the only deviations from normal conditions 

 being the variations in the daily amount of food given. 

 In certain instances, however, there vnll be noticed 

 a constant tendency to diminution in weight, notwith- 

 standing the daily fluctuations, and after a time a con- 

 dition of extreme emaciation may be reached, the 

 animal often being reduced to from 50 to 60 per cent, 

 of its original weight. In other cases, after inoculations 

 to which the animal is not susceptible, rabbits in par- 

 ticular, if properly fed, will frequently gain steadily in 

 weight. The condition of progressive emaciation just 

 mentioned is conspicuously seen after intravenous inoc- 

 ulation of rabbits with cultures of the bacillus typhi 

 abdominalis and of the bacterium coli commune referred 

 to in the chapter on the latter organism, and if looked 

 for will doubtless be seen to follow inoculation with 

 other organisms capable of producing chronic forms of 

 infection, but which are frequently considered non- 

 pathogenic because of their inability to induce acute 

 conditions. Not infrequently in chronic infections there 

 may be hardly any marked and constant temperature 

 variations until just before death, when there will some- 

 times be a rise and at other times a fall of temperature. 

 In the majority of cases, however, one must be very 

 cautious as to the amount of stress laid upon changes 

 in weight and temperature, for unless they are progres- 

 sive or continuous in one or another direction they may 

 have little or no significance in indicating the existence 

 or absence of disease. 



