278 DISEASES OF TRUE INFECTION 



are well kept and substantially fed, are better al^le to stand the disease 

 and, after it has run its course, come out of it stronger and make quicdc 

 I'ecoveries; it cannot be said, however, that in this disease this always 

 holds good, for frequently an animal that is in perfect health and fine 

 physical shape may contract the disease and die, and another animal in 

 not nearly so good condition throws off the disease and makes a very 

 c|uick and prompt recovery. 



Preventive Vaccination. — In the last century numerous attempts 

 have been made to find some inoculating material which would produce 

 immunity to distemper, either entire immunity or at least for a certain 

 period, and the results of certain observers have been mentioned already, 

 notably Krayewski. Ligniere, who considers distemper should be classed 

 among the hemorrhagic septicaemias, recommends a serum which he 

 prepares and calls polyvalent immune serum. Phisalix vaccinates with 

 greatly diluted cultures of the bacilli of distemper. The immunizing 

 action of the vaccine has been confirmed by Grey, Spiccr, Howtakcr, 

 who claim that this vaccine when injected into the animal at the time 

 it is affected with the disease has to a certain extent the property 

 of lessening both the intensity and course of the disease. Ligniere, 

 Jewell, Hobday, Parker and a committee appointed in England to test 

 this vaccine obtained unfavorable results. An immunizing agent called 

 antidistemper serum, prepared by the Jenner Institute of London, has 

 been sold commercially. Meyer, who has used a large quantity of the 

 serum, reports that after the animal is vaccinated it produces a mild form 

 of distemper which is catarrhal in form, and after the acute symptoms 

 disappear there may be nervous del)ility, unstead}- g'^it, and in one 

 case the animal became deaf. The vaccinated dogs, when brought in 

 contact afterward with dogs affected with acute distemper, either did 

 not contract it at all or they had a very mild attack. This serum in- 

 jected into an animal affected by distemper seems to have in certain 

 cases a decided beneficial effect. 



An antidistemper serum prepared by the bacteriological insti- 

 tute of Piorkowski in Berlin, does not seem to produce the results 

 claimed for it. This serum is recommended not only for immunization 

 (5 to 10 c.c. is injected subcutaneously in any part of the bod}', the best 

 location being the neck) but also for curing the disease (in doses of 20 

 to 50 c.c), and according to the statement of Piorkowski 85 per cent, of 

 animals having both catarrhal and nervous forms are cured. 



Baden used a large quantity of this serum and came to the conclu- 

 sion that in some cases it produced very good results, but these were 

 generally in the mild catarrhal gastric forms and when the treatment 

 was commenced immediately after the onset of the disease. In moi-e 

 acute cases when the disease had gone on for some time, and there were 



