68 PASTEUR AND AFTER PASTEUR 



"... A certain number of veterinary surgeons 

 neglect to send their reports at the end of the year. 

 Indeed, the reports which come to us tend to be 

 fewer every year. The fact is, that many veterinary 

 surgeons who make inoculations every year content 

 themselves with writing, ' The results are always 

 very good ; it is useless to send you reports which 

 are always the same thing.' 



"... In the twelve years up to January 1 of 

 this year (1894) we have had exact returns as to 

 1,788,879 sheep and 200,962 cattle about half of 

 all those that were vaccinated. . . . The total loss 

 of sheep is about 1 per cent. : the average for the 

 twelve years is 0'94. So we may say that the 

 whole average loss of vaccinated sheep, whether 

 from vaccination or from the disease itself, is about 

 1 per cent. The loss of vaccinated cattle is even 

 less. For the period of twelve years, it is 0*34, or 

 about one-third per cent. 



" These results are extremely satisfactory. It is 

 important to note that the average animal death- 

 rate from charbon, in the days before vaccination 

 the average given in these reports is estimated at 

 10 per cent, among sheep, and 5 per cent, among 

 cattle. But, even if we put it at 6 per cent, for 

 sheep, and 3J> per cent, for cattle, and say that the 

 worth of a sheep is 30 francs, and of an ox or a cow 

 150 francs which is well below their real value 

 even then it is obvious that the advantage of these 

 vaccinations to French agriculture is about five 

 million francs in sheep, and two million in cattle. 

 And these figures are rather too low than too high." 



It would be easy to collect a multitude of 

 instances. Here is one : in letters, this year, from 



