88 VACCINE AND SERUM THEBAPY 



daj^s for a sufficient immunity to be acquired to resist 

 the infection against which the vaccination is made ; 

 also that immediately after the vaccine is inoculated 

 there is a decreased resistance of the animal's bod}' — 

 the negative phase. This may last from twenty-four 

 hours to several days, Now, in the vast majority of 

 cases of joint ill the disease appears within the first 

 week after birth, and it may appear in a very acute 

 form and cause death within twenty-four hours after 

 birth. Having these facts in view, it does not seem 

 possible that postnatal vaccination can be of any 

 service in preventing the disease. If, however, the 

 vaccine was used in conjunction with polyvalent 

 immune serum, better results might be hoped for, 

 especially in the more chronic form of infection. 

 The best results should be obtained from treatment 

 of the mares during pregnancy with a vaccine as 

 advised by McFadyean, and which corresponds to 

 the method adopted by me in immunisation against 

 white scour, and from which I had such favourable 

 results (see White Scour). 



Treatment. — Up to the present serum treatment 

 has not been successful. In all kinds of cocci infec- 

 tions antiserum as a curative has been a failure. 

 In an article appearing in the Veterinary liecord, 

 March 19, 1921, by Edwards, he mentions, with re- 

 ference to a serum supplied by the Royal Veterinary 

 College, London, ''that many individual practitioners 

 formed the opinion that this serum exercised a 

 markedly beneficial effect." At the same time there 



