218 APPLIED BACTERIOLOGY 



symptoms of rabies -within twelve days if the suspected 

 animal really suffered from the disease. The test animal, 

 in the case of the dog, may exhibit either the furious 

 state, in which it barks in a peculiar manner and is very 

 aggressive, or it may exhibit the dumb or paralytic condi- 

 tion ; both of these conditions end in death. Pasteur dis- 

 covered, by experimenting on dogs and rabbits, that whereas 

 inoculation with a fresh cord from a rabid animal never 

 failed to produce typical rabies, yet when a cord that had 

 been dried for some days was employed this did not happen ; 

 and that by starting with one that had been dried for four- 

 teen days, and then following up with one that had been 

 dried for a less time, it was possible to produce a ' protection ' 

 against rabies, and that animals so treated might be bitten 

 with impunity by rabid animals. This success led him to 

 attempt to use this process as a remedial measure in the 

 case of persons already bitten, with the intention of con- 

 ferring immunity before the infection from the bite has had 

 time to take effect. It is obvious that success must be to 

 some extent governed by the length of time allowed to 

 elapse between the infection and the inception of the 

 treatment, and that the sooner the patient is treated the 

 greater will be his chance of escaping from the disease, 

 the best results being obtained when the treatment is com- 

 menced within three days after the infection. The treat- 

 ment was thoroughly examined and reported on favourably 

 by the English Commission on Pasteur's Eesearches. 



In Australia, where all dogs are quarantined for a period 

 of six months on importation, rabies is practically un- 

 known. 



The following are the returns of the inoculations made, 

 as a preventative against rabies, at the Pasteur Institute 

 for the past ten years :* 



* Annales de I'Insiitut. 



