244 APPLIED IMMUNOLOGY 



either because he lacks the required bacteriological 

 facilities or is too busy to devote the necessary time 

 and attention to trivial signs and symptoms. It seems 

 not to be appreciated by physicians generally that bac- 

 terins are agents capable equally for good or evil. It 

 cannot be too strongly emphasized that bacterin 

 therapy is merely a valuable accessory to Nature in 

 the art and science of healing and is not a " cure all." 

 Carelessness, ignorance, incompetence or a desire on 

 the part of the therapeutist to push the treatment, 

 when beneficial results become apparent, will lead not 

 only to failure, perhaps disaster, but at all times dis- 

 credits a therapeutic measure of great value, and de- 

 prives the patient of his natural resources for re- 

 covery. Two solutions for the problem are offered 

 the general practitioner contemplating bacterial in- 

 oculations : either to familiarize himself more with im- 

 munology, including bacteriology and laboratory 

 methods, or to refer his patient to or cooperate with 

 an immunologist, precisely as he is accustomed at times 

 to consult an ophthalmologist. 



Induced Auto-inoculation, — Therapeutic inocula- 

 tion may assume one of two forms, (1) exogenous 

 injection of bacterial suspensions, forming the main 

 theme of this chapter, and ( 2 ) endogenous inoculation 

 or auto-inoculation. The latter is a very common clini- 

 cal phenomenon and may be spontaneous or induced. 



