ANIMAL VACCINATION. 93 
Rotterdam establishment, in distributing supplies of lymph, 
now use only that from the human subject. 
Such being the disadvantages, Mr.. Simon proceeds to in 
quire whether there are any reasons to think that our own 
system has demerits which entitle us to regard it with 
special distrust, and to prefer even animal vaccination with 
its elements of weakness. Of course the ground upon which 
it is sought to discourage arm-to-arm vaccination is the as- 
serted risk of spreading syphilis thereby ; and if it were true 
that syphilis were so spread, some change of system would 
be called for. But Mr. Simon, after a careful examination 
of the whole matter, and holding that the above hypothetical 
concession does not go beyond the case of vaccination pro- 
perly performed — for the vague possibilities of malapraxis are 
almost irrelevant to the main issue — can see no ground for 
the alleged invaccination of syphilis. 
Premising that it is surprising that vaccination has not been 
almost generally pitched upon by persons as an apology for 
their syphilitic offspring, that wounds of slight nature in in- 
fected subjects may take on the character of a specific sore, 
and that when syphilis appears to be invaccinated it may 
arise from gross carelessness, that millions of vaccinations are 
yearly performed without any accusation of inoculated syphilis, 
and that the accumulated experience of the Medical Depart- 
ment of the Privy Council, as Well as the general consent of 
the medical profession, are against the proved occurrence of 
invaccinated syphilis, Mr. Simon examines the exceptional 
cases, which are infinitely few in number, with a view of 
showing that they are to be explained by vaccination being 
altogether improperly performed, and declares that with such 
certainties as we possess as regards the freedom of vaccination, 
properly performed, from evil results, it would be the merest 
pedantry to insist on infinitesimal speculative uncertainties, as 
though our English system of vaccination deserved mistrust 
because we are puzzled to explain some alleged syphilisation 
on the Continent. That the various measures taken of late 
years to perfect our existing national vaccination have operated 
successfully it is needless to show. Mr. Simon entirely vindi- 
cates its claim to our increased confidence. — Lancet. 
