48 MODERN BIOLOGIC THERAPEUSIS 



the infection. A good example of protection af- 

 ter infection has occurred is shown in antirabic 

 treatment, in which the Rabies Vaccine is given 

 in such doses and at such intervals that sufficient 

 antibodies are produced to neutralize the effects 

 of rabies virus and to actually destroy it during 

 the period of incubation ; that is, during the in- 

 terval that elapses between the time of infection 

 and the appearance of the symptoms. 



THERAPEUTIC ACTIVE IMMUNIZATION 



Vaccine therapy owes its origin to the re- 

 searches of Sir Almroth Wright and his col- 

 leagues, who originally employed the method 

 for treating those infections that showed a ten- 

 dency to chronicity and in which true toxins 

 played no part. Wright believes that any stim- 

 ulus that will arouse the tissue-cells to throw 

 into the circulation substances from the invad- 

 ing bacteria or diseased tissues may result in 

 increasing antibody formation, followed event- 

 ually by clinical improvement or cure. Injec- 

 tion into the patient of killed bacteria in 

 sufficient numbers will furnish the stimulus nec- 

 essary for arousing dormant tissue-cells to pro- 

 duce the antibodies necessary for overcoming 



