CHOLERA 179 



case is one of true Asiatic cholera or not. As a matter of 

 fact, those cases of supposed cholera in which the ' comma ' 

 could not be found have very rarely proved infective. 



The experiments of Marshall Ward and of Pettenkofer, 

 who swallowed pure cultures of Koch's ' comma ' in support 

 of their contention that cholera was not caused by this 

 organism, are held by some to throw doubt on the 

 ' specificity ' of the organism ; but it is more probable that 

 they escaped from ill effects by being in good health, and 

 having a normal acidity in their gastric juice. It is pro- 

 bable that, had a larger number of people been experimented 

 on, the conclusions arrived at would have been reversed. 



Experiments on animals by injection of pure cultures 

 are not productive of cholera unless some special means 

 are adopted to neutralise the acidity of the gastric juice. 

 This immunity of animals is no evidence whatever against 

 the pathogenicity of the organism for man, as there are 

 many othBr organisms which produce disease in man to 

 which the lower animals are immune. 



HaflFkine's Antitoxin Treatment. — This treatment has been 

 tried on upwards of five thousand persons in India, and it 

 may fairly claim to have passed the experimental stage 

 successfully. The results reported are much more success- 

 ful than those that have hitherto attended the antitoxin 

 treatment for diphtheria. 



Professor Haffkine administers two injections — the first 

 of weak vaccine, and a second of stronger vaccine at the 

 end of five days. This second dose requires five days to 

 act, before the full power of immunisation that it exerts is 

 effected. 



With reference to the employment of this remedy and 

 its effects, as observed during an outbreak of cholera in 

 a certain district in Calcutta, Dr. Simpson, Medical Of&cer 

 of Health of Calcutta, says that ' after eight days — in fact, 



