THE CURATIVE POISON 129 



ery, healthy animals inoculated with the atten- 

 uated virus would surely be rendered immune 

 to anthrax. He consented to make a test on a 

 large scale, and this test justly remained cele- 

 brated. It began on the 5th of May, 1881, on 

 a farm at Pouilly-le-Fort, near Melun, under 

 the auspices of the Society of Agriculture of 

 that town. The conditions imposed were most 

 rigorous, but Pasteur was confident of victory. 

 Fifty sheep and ten cows were turned over to 

 him: of the former lot twenty-five were to be 

 vaccinated with an attenuated virus and then 

 to receive, together with the other twenty-five 

 which had not been vaccinated, an inoculation 

 of extremely virulent anthrax microbes; while 

 for the second lot the experiment was to be tried 

 upon six vaccinated animals and four not vac- 

 cinated. Pasteur asserted that all those which 

 had been vaccinated would resist the disease of 

 anthrax, while those which had not been vacci- 

 nated would all die. This claim had the au- 

 dacity of genius, and throughout the duration 

 of the experiments the illustrious scientist un- 



