VACCINES IN TREATMENT OF DISEASE 243 



clinical evidence approach in reliability that of 

 animal experimentation. 



In certain strictly localized and in chronic in- 

 fections, there is abundant clinical evidence 

 that the infectious process may be favorably in- 

 fluenced by bacterial vaccine inoculations. Un- 

 der general infections may be included those 

 diseases, such as streptococcic septicemia, in 

 which there is a profound disturbance of the 

 physiology of the entire body as evidenced by 

 fever, and other signs of sepsis and in which a 

 more or less bacterial invasion of the blood is 

 demonstrable. 



The treatment of this class of cases by vac- 

 cines has not been followed by clinical results 

 which justify the method as a routine procedure. 

 In puerperal sepsis, adequately controlled case 

 reports are few; and the consensus of opinion 

 has been that the favorable outcome of the 

 treated cases could be attributed as well to the 

 normal variability of the disease, as to the spe- 

 cific method of treatment. The bad effects of 

 stimulating to increased activity the tissue-cells, 

 which already are overtaxed with toxic sub- 

 stances, may be as evident to the careful clin- 

 ician as to the serologist. In general, it may be 



