Emphysematous Anthrax. 233 



injectton of large enough doses will not only kill the full grown 

 Guinea pig, but at the same time restore the microbes to their 

 former virulence. While recognizing the great economy of the 

 judicious use of such weakened virus, we cannot but condemn 

 the reckless sale by the Pasteur institutes of their products, to be 

 used on animals on all kinds of lands, the uninfected as well as 

 the infected. A great and valuable prophylactic measure should 

 not be used in such a way as to increase the area of prevalence of 

 the disease which is to be prevented, and also the yearly demands 

 for more of the preventive agent . This may appeal to the business 

 instinct, but this should ever be held subordinate to sanitary con- 

 siderations. The danger might be avoided by making the state 

 the sole distributor of such prophylactic agents, but in any case 

 their use should be forbidden, and as far as possible prevented, 

 upon dense and wet soils that are not yet contaminated by the 

 bacillus. 



7th. Kitt secured immunization by inoculating once only, 

 with dried virus which had been subjected for six hours to steam 

 at 100° C. 



8th. In difEerent outbreaks, I have taken the blood from the 

 sick animal, or one that has just died, and heated it for over one 

 hour in a water bath, at 100° C, then broken up the coagu- 

 lated mass in well boiled water, filtered the liquid and used the 

 filtrate for inoculation in doses of 2 drams, repeated the second 

 day. Great care is taken in keeping the whole mass at 100° C. 

 for the requisite length of time ; then in heating the upper part 

 of the vessel, which was above the contents and the water so as 

 to char anything adhering to it ; to see that hands, instruments, 

 and all articles used have been thoroughly sterilized ; and to dip 

 the hypodermic nozzle in carbolic acid before each injection. 



It is not claimed that this method is perfect, since severe, ad- 

 vanced cases may have bacilli and even spores in the blood, and 

 the latter would not be sterilized but only weakened. It has, 

 however, several manifest advantages that may be held to more 

 than counterbalance this danger. 



a. It almost infallibly secures the toxins of the disease pre- 

 vailing in the particular herd, thus escaping the danger of using 

 the weakened virus of emphysematous anthrax on some other 

 disease (anthrax, Wildeseuche, Barbone, etc.), which has been 



