CHAPTER XXIV 



Cholera — Experiments on himself and others — Illness of M. JupUle — 

 Death of an epileptic subject — Insufficient results. 



The acute period of the struggle in defence of the 

 phagocyte theory now seemed to have come to an 

 end and Metchnikoff turned his thoughts towards a 

 new field of ideas. 



Having elucidated the essence of inflammation, 

 he wished to study the origin of another pathological 

 symptom, i.e. the rise in temperature which consti- 

 tutes a feverish condition. To that end he undertook a 

 succession of experiments on cold-blooded animals ; he 

 injected microbes into crocodiles and serpents, hoping 

 thus to provoke a rise in their temperature. But 

 those experiments did not give the results expected. 



In the meanwhile (1892) cholera had made its 

 appearance in France ; the specificity of the cholera 

 vibrio was not finally established at that time. The 

 observations made by Pettenkoffer on the immunity 

 of certain regions, despite the presence of the cholera 

 vibrio in the water, and the experiments made upon 

 himself by that scientist, seemed to plead against the 

 specificity of the cholera vibrio ; but other facts spoke 

 in its favour. Desirous of solving this question, 

 Metchnikoff went to a cholera centre in Brittany 

 in order to fetch the necessary materials. Having 

 done so, he attempted to produce cholera in divers 

 kinds of animals, but without success. 



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