138 PASTEUR AND AFTER PASTEUR 



animal disease ; so that we look upon the goat as 

 the animal that is about farthest away from taking 

 a human disease ; and, as only the monkey took 

 this disease, and not the rabbit, guinea-pig, rat, or 

 dog, we considered that it was very improbable 

 that a goat would take it. 



" But, as a matter of routine, some goats were 

 taken and inoculated under the skin with the 

 micrococcus melitensis, and some were also fed on 

 a small quantity of the culture that is to say, a 

 little of this micrococcus melitensis is taken out of a 

 tube and put on the food, so that the animal eats 

 it. These animals were examined afterwards as to 

 their temperature and general appearance. But 

 nothing happened." 



But their blood, tested by Widal's test, gave a 

 positive reaction. That is to say 



" The goats did not get the fever in the way 

 that we consider characteristic of fevers. They 

 got the fever, but did not show any external mani- 

 festations of that fever. The micro-organism did 

 multiply in their bodies, but it did not give rise to 

 any ill-health : it did not give rise to any fever. 

 By looking at the goat you could not say that that 

 goat was ill. It gave as much milk as a perfectly 

 healthy goat ; it was as fat and smooth-looking as 

 a healthy goat. So that it was only by this blood- 

 examination that it was suspected that something 

 was occurring. We suspected that the stuff we 

 put in had not died off as ordinary non-pathogenic 

 organisms would, when brought into contact with 

 a non- susceptible animal but that it had gained 

 some ground, and was multiplying to some extent." 



