144 SCIENCE REMAKING THE WORLD 



challenged to make a public demonstration of his claims. 

 The Agriculture Society at Melun, France, offered to 

 provide sheep and cattle for the demonstration. Dele- 

 gates were invited and came from many interested 

 organizations and countries. Pasteur penned ten 

 sheep to serve as controls to determine whether anthrax 

 was in the food, air, or water given to them and to the 

 other sheep and cattle. Twenty-five sheep and six 

 cows were to be vaccinated, and twenty-three sheep, 

 two goats, and four cows were not to be vaccinated but 

 were to receive fully virulent anthrax bacteria at the 

 same time as the vaccinated sheep and cattle. On 

 May 5, 1881, the first vaccination was given to the 

 twenty-five sheep and six cows. On May 17, 1881, the 

 second vaccination was given to the same animals. On 

 May 31, 1 88 1, fully virulent anthrax germs were given 

 to all vaccinated sheep and cows, to the four remaining 

 cows, and to the twenty-three sheep and the goats. 

 Pasteur told the delegates to return on June 2. This 

 direction was unnecessary as most of them did not leave, 

 so keenly did they appreciate the momentous impor- 

 tance of what was going on. Many were disbelievers and 

 expected Pasteur's downfall. The results were trium- 

 phant. On the morning of June 2, all of the non- 

 vaccinated sheep and cows and the goats were dead, 

 dying, or severely ill. Not a vaccinated sheep or cow or a 

 control sheep died as a result of the treatment they had 

 received. Since that day the human race has known 

 how to avoid anthrax, if only it will do what is known as 

 good to do. More than this, the idea of successive 

 vaccination was proved, and this has been the founda- 



