﻿162 STRONG. 



reaction had subsided, the same amount of the suspension of the killed organisms 

 alone. He also advised a third inoculation with a larger dose for those who 

 are frequently exposed to plague infection. The addition of the plague serum is 

 recommended in order to diminish the local and general reaction and to aid in 

 absorption. 



The prophylactic recommended by Besredka 13 in 1902 is prepared by adding 

 a plague immune serum to a suspension of the killed pest bacillus in saline 

 solution. By this means the bacteria become agglutinated and sink to the 

 bottom of the vessel. The organisms are killed by heating for one hour at 60° C. 

 The precipitate of bacteria is then washed thoroughly to free it from any excess 

 of serum, and the agglutinated and washed bacteria are used for the injection. 

 This prophylactic, Besredka maintained, produced an immunity in animals after 

 forty-eight hours, which lasted for five months. Recently " he has recommended 

 the addition of a normal horse's serum in place of the immune serum, to the 

 suspensions of the killed and dried bacteria in saline solution. The organisms 

 after separation by centrifugation are then said to be "atoxique" and are used for 

 the inoculations. 



Gosio ls recently has described in detail a practical method of preparing plague 

 prophylactic in large quantities. Pest bacilli were cultivated in thin layers of 

 bouillon, in flasks such as are used for the preparation of diphtheria toxin. The 

 bacteria were then precipitated by means of an agglutinating pest serum and 

 separated from the latter; following this they were killed by heating at 65° C. 

 for one hour, and the sterility of the mixture proved by the addition to the 

 inoculated bouillon tubes of a small amount of potassium telluride. 



Hueppe and Kikuchi 10 in October, 1905, announced that successful results had 

 been obtained in guinea pigs by repeated inoculations of exudates containing 

 plague aggressin. The experiments are very few in number and but briefly 

 related, but the authors mention that in this paper it is their intention merely 

 to call attention to the priority of the use of this method of immunization of 

 animals against plague. As yet they have not reported further upon the subject. 



In November, 1905, I for the first time reported to the Manila Medical Society 

 upon vaccination in man with attenuated living cultures of the pest bacillus, and 

 later, in February, 1906, published in this Journal i7 . and afterwards with 

 Professor Kolle, ls further experiments relating to this subject. The details of 

 all the work performed in vaccination with these cultures will be considered in 

 the present paper. 



Finally, in January of this year (1906) Klein 10 has described a method of 

 plague inoculation which he has employed in white mice, rats and guinea pigs. 

 The buboes, spleen, lungs and liver of a guinea pig which has succumbed to sub- 

 acute pest infection were removed and finely minced aseptically, spread out in 

 thin layers in sterile glass dishes and dried over sulphuric acid at a temperature 



13 Ann. d. I'inst. Pasteur (1902), 16, 918. 

 "Ann. d. I'inst. Pasteur (1905), 19, 479. 



15 Ztschr. f. Eyg. u. Infectionskrankh., Leipz. (1905), 50, 519. 

 w Central, f. Bakteriol. Orig. (1905), 39, 610. 

 17 This Journal (1906), 1, 181. 

 13 Deutsche Med. Wchnsch. (1906), 32, 413. 



is "Preliminary Report to the Local Government Board on a New Plague Prophy- 

 lactic, - ' 1906, London, Darling and Son; also Brit. Med. Journ. (1900), 155. 



