PREVENTIVE INOCULATION 61 
in every instance, and would doubtless reduce to a 
minimum those regrettable occurrences too frequently 
experienced in the past when vaccine has been used alone. 
With the provision of a regular nutritious diet, warmth, 
and cleanliness, all will have been done that is possible 
to ensure one’s efforts being attended with success. ~ 
Reactions during Vaccination.—These may be severe 
or altogether absent : they may be manifested merely by 
a local reaction, or the general health may be disturbed. 
Where there is a moderately severe swelling at the seat 
of inoculation, the animal is often rendered stiff or even 
lame, and exhibits perhaps some degree of pyrexia and 
inappetence. In other cases alarming symptoms are 
evinced, simulating those of the disease it is sought to 
prevent, and the animal may even die. In the majority 
of instances, however, the train of symptoms is usually 
no worse than loss of appetite, dullness, general malaise, 
loss of condition, rise of temperature to 102° F. or 
103° F., followed in about seven days by complete 
recovery. 
Most authorities appear to be agreed that the greater 
the severity of the general reaction the more lasting the 
immunity conferred, and where negative results have 
attended vaccination, the cause has often been ascribed to 
the failure to produce a suitable typical reaction. 
In the discovery of a prophylactic or curative vaccine 
or serum lies the only hope of salvation for the canine 
race against the dread scourge of distemper, and the 
bacteriologist who can accomplish this will deservedly 
become famous in the annals of veterinary science. The 
first step will naturally be the fixation, beyond a shadow 
of doubt, of the causal agent, after which the creation of 
a preventive vaccine could be entertained with a more 
reasonable assurance of success; but in any case the 
desired end will prove extremely difficult to attain, in 
