CHAPTER III 



TECHNIC OF ANIMAL INOCULATION 



THIS is a highly important part of immunologic work, as both for se- 

 rum diagnosis and for serum therapy the serum must be secured from 

 animals that have been artificially immunized. Successful inoculation 

 requires unremitting care and thoroughness, as the toxic effects of the 

 proteins in general may kill an animal before immunization has been 

 completed. No hard and fast rules can be laid down the weight of 

 an animal and the reaction to an injection should decide the frequency 

 and the size of subsequent injections. It is better to proceed slowly 

 and gradually, than to give too large a dose at once and at too frequent 

 intervals. 



GENERAL RULES 



1. Select an appropriately sized syringe that does not leak upon 

 being tested with water. As has been stated elsewhere, nothing is 

 more unsatisfactory than a leaking syringe, for not only may the hand 

 become soiled, but an unknown quantity of inoculum is lost. 



2. The inoculum should be sterile. This is especially desirable 

 when giving intravenous and intraperitoneal injections. When living 

 cultures of bacteria are to be injected, the syringe and the needle should 

 be sterilized in order to avoid the introduction of contaminating or- 

 ganisms. 



3. Remove the plunger from the barrel, and sterilize all the parts by 

 boiling for at least one minute. As previously stated, an all-glass 

 syringe or a glass barrel and metal plunger is the most satisfactory. 

 (See. Fig. 8.) The old-fashioned syringe with washers and rubber- 

 tipped plunger should find no place in a laboratory. 



4. After cooling, expel the water and load the syringe. This may 

 be done by drawing the fluid directly into the syringe and measuring 

 the dose by its markings or by pipeting the exact dose into a sterile 

 Petri dish or capsule and drawing up in the syringe. 



5. The animal should be fastened or held firmly and in an easy posi- 

 tion. Everything should be in readiness, so that the injections may be 

 given thoroughly and carefully. 



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