VACCINATION IN ANTHRAX. 497 



the tissues to absorb the amboceptors (Sobern- 

 heim). Their work is of sufficient importance to 

 demand repetition. 



Wright has shown the importance of the opsonins 

 for phagocytosis of the anthrax bacillus. 



Eecovery from spontaneous infection is said to 

 confer a degree of immunity, which, however, is 

 not permanent. 



Artificial immunity may be produced by active vaccination. 

 or passive immunization. The first attempts at 

 vaccination were made in 1880 by Toussaint, who 

 injected the blood of infected animals after it had 

 been heated to 55 degrees for ten minutes. The 

 bacilli were thus attenuated, but they were able to 

 form spores subsequently and vaccination was not 

 always successful. Pasteur used two vaccines. Vac- 

 cine I consisted of a culture which was attenuated 

 by growth at 42 C., and which contained no 

 spores. Vaccine II was a virulent culture, and was 

 injected in from ten to fourteen days after vac- 

 cine I. Its use is said to have caused a decrease 

 in anthrax in heavily infected districts, with a con- 

 sequent decrease of the disease in man. Various 

 modifications of the vaccines of Pasteur have been 

 devised by others, and they seem to be equally suc- 

 cessful. In some instances killed bacilli and the 

 products of bacterial growth have been used with 

 less success. The Anthracase-Immunproteidin of 

 v. Emmerich ^nd Lowe is not of established value. 



Immune serum for therapeutic purposes is pre- J* 

 pared by immunization, first with killed or atten- lax 

 uated cultures and then with virulent strains. The 

 two vaccines of Pasteur may be used. Although 

 the serum has been shown to have fairly strong 



