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THE VACCINE OF SPLENIC FEVER. 



WE have seen how the facts have been established 

 with regard to the microbe of fowl cholera. Immu- 

 nity against a virulent disease may be obtained by 

 the influence of a benign malady which is induced by 

 the same microbe, only weakened in virulence. What 

 a future there would be for medicine if this method 

 could be applied to the prevention of all virulent 

 diseases ! As splenic fever was at that time being 

 studied in the laboratory of the Ecole Normale, it was 

 upon this fever that the research was first attempted. 

 But the success of this research, said Pasteur, can 

 only be hoped for if the disease is non-recurrent. It 

 is only in this case that inoculation with the weakened 

 microbe can protect from the deadly splenic fever. 

 Unfortunately, human medicine is dumb as regards this 

 question of non-recurrence. The man who is smitten 

 with malignant pustule rarely recovers. If there are 

 any cases of recovery and there are some authentic 

 ones he who has so narrowly escaped death could 

 not confidently count upon his chance of protection 



