Bacteriologic Diagnosis 373 



tical measure for the protective vaccination of cattle against the 

 disease, and devoted himself to investigating the problem. He 

 found that the inoculation of attenuated bacilli into cows and sheep, 

 and their subsequent reinoculation with mildly virulent bacilli, 

 afforded them immunity against highly virulent organisms. 



The protective inoculations prepared by Pasteur consisted of 

 two cultures of diminished virulence, to be employed one after the 

 other, each rendering the vaccinated animals more immune. The 

 cultures were prepared, that is, attenuated by cultivation at 42°C. 

 for a sufficient length of time, the bacilli forming no spores and 

 gradually losing their virulence at this temperature. The first 

 vaccine was kept from fifteen to twenty days ^t 42°C. It killed 

 mice and guinea-pigs one day old, but was without action on guinea- 

 pigs of adult size. The second vaccine only remained at the tem- 

 perature of 42°C. for from ten to twelve days and killed mice, 

 guinea-pigs and occasionally rabbits. 



The vaccine is administered by hypodermic injection into the tis- 

 sues of the neck or flank, the second being given from two to three 

 weeks after the first. Of each broth culture about i cc. is admin- 

 istered. The animals frequently become ill. 



Pasteur demonstrated the value of his method in 1881 at Pouilly- 

 le-Fort in a manner so convincing to the entire world that it was 

 immediately put into practice in France. Roger* says that between 

 1881 and 1894 there were 1,788,677 sheep vaccinated, with a mor- 

 tality of 0.94 per cent., the previous death-rate having been 10 per 

 cent. There were also 200,962 cattle vaccinated, with a reduction 

 of the death-rate from 5 per cent, to 0.34 per cent. 



Hiippe found that the simultaneous inoculation of bacteria not at 

 all related to anthrax will sometimes cause the animal to recover. 

 Hankin found in the cultures chemic substances, especially an albu- 

 minose, that exerted a protective influence. ' Rettgerf prepared 

 "prodigiosus powder" from potato cultures of B. prodigiosus, which 

 when injected into guinea pigs during experimental anthrax infection 

 prolonged life or induced recovery. 



Serum Therapy.— In 1890 Ogata and Jasuhara showed that the 

 blood of experiment animals convalescent from anthrax possessed 

 an antitoxic substance of such strength that i : 800 parts per body- 

 weight would protect a mouse. Similar results have been attained 

 by Marchoux. { Serum therapy in anthrax is, however, of no prac- 

 tical importance either for prophylaxis or treatment, as vaccinating 

 the animals is far cheaper and more satisfactory. 



Bacteriologic Diagnosis. — When it is desired to have a bacterio- 

 logic diagnosis of anthrax made where no laboratory facilities are at 

 hand, an ear of the dead animal can be inclosed in a bottle or fruit 



*Les Maladies Irifectieuse, n, p. 1489. 



t''Jour. of Infectioug Diseases," Nov. 25, 1905, vol. rr. No. 4, p. 362- 



t "Ann. de I'Inst. Pasteur," November, 1895, ix, No. n, pp. so-JS- 



