

Protective vaccinations 473 



rpose they use cultures grown in broth made from the pig's stomach 

 (" bouillon de pause " or Martin's broth) which they heat for 2 hours 

 at 70° C. The cultures, so treated and injected in quantities of 

 1 to 2c.c. into Bovidae, induce in them an immediate immunity. 

 These authors are persuaded that the vaccination by this method 

 might be used on a large scale with certain advantages over the 

 method at present in use. A single injection, instead of two, involves 

 a great economy, and the injection of pure vaccinal cultures obviates 

 the accidents caused by the foreign organisms which are found mixed 

 with the Lyons vaccine. 



On the other hand, Leclaiuche and Valine think that vaccination 

 by serums has no future in the fight against symptomatic anthrax 

 and should only be used in exceptional cases. 



It is evident that the Lyons method is capable of being improved 

 and some day may be replaced by another. Still it must be remem- 

 bered that it has already preserved a very great number of animals 

 from certain death by symptomatic anthrax. 



VII. Vaccinations against swine erysipelas. Swine erysipelas is 

 a disease widely distributed in nearly all countries where the breeding 

 of pigs is carried on on a large scale. It is a very fatal disease, and it is 

 estimated that in France alone at least 100,000 pigs of the value of 

 more than five million francs succumb to it annually. Unfortunately [496] 

 swine erysipelas is often confounded by breeders with other epizootic 

 diseases, especially pneumo-enteritis of the pig. This confusion has 

 often resulted in large losses to agriculture. 



Soon after the vaccinations against anthrax became a part of 

 veterinary practice, Pasteur^ assisted by Thuillier, took up the study 

 of swine erysipelas which was causing great ravages in the department 

 of Vaucluse. They were not long in discovering that the true cause 

 of the disease was a very small bacillus capable of growing in pure 

 culture in nutrient broth. Guided by his former investigations, 

 Pasteur with his collaborator undertook minute researches into tho 

 reinforcement and attenuation of the virulence of the bacillus of swine 

 erysipelas which led them to the elaboration of a method of vaccina- 

 tion capable of conferring on pigs a high degree of protection against 

 the disease. Following the line of the anthrax vaccinations, Pasteur 

 and Thuillier prepared two vaccines against the erysipelas, the fii-st 

 more attenuated than the second. The bacilli of these two vaccines 

 1 Co7npL rend. Acad. d. sc, Paris, 18S3, t. xcvii, p. 1163. 



