IMMUNIZATION BY MEANS OF THE BACTERIOPHAGE 271 



These authors confirm the absolute harmlessness of the administration 

 of cultures of the bacteriophage, whatever may be the mode of introduction 

 into the organism. The sole reaction which they observed consisted of a 

 sudoral crisis which followed the administration in about two hours, 

 even when the administration was effected by the oral route. They con- 

 sider that this reaction is due to the lysis of the pathogenic bacteria within 

 the body of the patient. This view is certainly correct for this sudoral 

 crisis is not observed in the healthy individual, either after the injection 

 or after the ingestion of cultures of the bacteriophage. This has been 

 demonstrated in several instances. 



They note the constant coincidence which exists between the admin- 

 istration of the culture and the apyrexia which follows within forty-eight 

 hours. This relationship appears to be independent of the stage of the 

 disease when the culture is given. In all the treated cases blood cultures 

 made forty-eight hours before the intervention were positive, that is, the 

 treatment was always applied at a period when the disease was fully active. 



Beckerich and Hauduroy have, moreover, treated two cases of puer- 

 peral pyelocystitis due to B. coli by the subcutaneous injection of 1 cc. of an 

 anti-coli bacteriophage culture. In both cases the sudoral crisis followed 

 in two hours, and permanent apyrexia in forty-eight hours. 



