APfilL 9, 1897.] 



SGIENOE. 



567 



But this discovery led to another, important 

 and far-reaching. Fodor showed that the 

 blood serum of animals, made immune to a 

 particular disease by injecting the animal 

 with the poison which this germ formed, had 

 the effect of destroying the germ of the dis- 

 ease. This excited renewed interest in the 

 study of the blood, and within a few years 

 it was demonstrated by the work of many, 

 some in this city in the laboratories before 

 mentioned, that this serum from previously 

 immunized animals, not only had the prop- 

 erty of conferring immunity upon other 

 animals, but also of checking the disease 

 after it had once begun. How thoroughly 

 this fact was demonstrated, first by Behring 

 and subsequently by Roux and others in 

 connection with diphtheria and tetanus, 

 has been dwelt upon often, and we know of 

 the many thousands of lives that have been 

 saved by the use of antitoxic serums. 



To prepare these the solution of the 

 toxins, which we have before described, are 

 injected into different animals, preferably 

 horses, and at the end of six to twelve 

 weeks the blood of these animals is found 

 to yield a serum containing substances 

 possessing both immunizing and curative 

 properties which we call antitoxines. The 

 active principle of this serum is present in 

 a comparatively small quantity, but its in- 

 fluence is enormous. It does not appear to 

 be a substance which directly chemically 

 neutralizes the poison, but counteracts its 

 effects within the animal in some unknown 

 way. 



But some of our friends may ask : Were 

 not these facts discovered first by the use 

 of animals, and hence has not this knowl- 

 edge, though of inestimable value to man- 

 kind, been too dearly bought ? Yes, per- 

 haps, a score or two of guinea pigs and 

 sweet, lovely rats and mice have sacri- 

 ficed their lives for humanity's sake. But 

 this knowledge could not have been gained 

 in any other way unless by the sacrifice of 



human life . What mother would hesitate 

 to sacrifice a thousand guinea pigs for the 

 life of her child, or, on the other hand, 

 would wish her chUd to serve as the subject 

 of experiment for others ? 



I have often been asked if the horses 

 placed under this treatment for the produc- 

 tion of antitoxines suffer. I think not and, 

 as an illustration, will relate an incident 

 which has come under my own observation, 

 in the study of the antitoxins of the dread 

 disease, tuberculosis. A well-blooded horse, 

 gentle in every particular, except that he 

 would run away upon the slightest provo- 

 cation, seemed to be a suitable subject for 

 some work. Accordingly he received an 

 injection of the poison of the tuberculosis 

 germ with the expectation that so high 

 strung an animal would rebel against these 

 pleasant familiarities. But he was entirely 

 too wise for this. He submitted quietly 

 and seemed much interested while by means 

 of a hypodermic syringe a small quantity 

 of the poison was ejected beneath his skin. 

 A few days afterwards when the operation 

 was repeated it would have been reasonable 

 to expect that if there had been any dis- 

 comfort the horse would have rebelled 

 against the procedure. Did this happen? 

 N'ot by any means. As soon as he observed 

 the doctor appear with the syringe and 

 bottle he trotted toward him with pleasure, 

 stood quietly looking around with intelli- 

 gence, while the injection was made and 

 ever afterwards lent himself to the experir 

 ment with as much evident pleasure and 

 interest as that of the investigators, appar- 

 ently thoroughly appreciating its object. 



It would hardly be fair to say that this 

 dumb animal was endowed with more in- 

 telligence than some of our ill-informed but 

 well-meaniag friends, and yet would its ac- 

 tions not seem to indicate a high regard for 

 scientific work and disclaimer of suffering ? 



Is it that they are instigated by a desire 

 to infiict torture that scores of investigators 



