804 
PKOCEEDINGS OF SECTION I. 
On 20th November there remained one experimental and one 
control guinea-pig. Neither presented any external sign of illness. 
They were killed on this day, 122 days after the first inoculation with 
tubercular sputum. Both were found to have some tuberculous 
patches in the spleen ; there was also a yellow caseous nodule in the 
liver of the control guinea-pig. 
Thus of the three experimental guinea-pigs— /*.£., those treated by 
the serum injections — the results were — 
No. 1. Free from tuberculosis on the 92nd day from the first 
inoculation with sputum. 
No. 2. Died of tuberculosis on the 103rd day. 
No. 3. Very slightly affected on the 122nd day. 
Whilst of the untreated or control guinea-pigs — 
No. 1. Died of tuberculosis on the 79th day. 
No. 2. Died of tuberculosis on the S8th day. 
No. 3. Very slightly affected on the 122nd day, 
Is there any sign of promise in these results, meagre as they are? 
Personally 1 am sanguine enough to fancy that there is. 
In the first place two of the three untreated animals died sooner, 
and were more generally affected, than any that received the serum 
injections. Moreover, in spite of accidents, mistakes, and various 
difficulties, the absolute duration of life was somewhat greater in the 
treated than in the untreated animals ; whereas, if there was no 
intrinsic benefit in the serum employed, the frequent repetition of the 
slight operation of injection, with the incident disturbance and 
manipulation, should have told somewhat against it. 
The number of animals employed was, however, obviously too 
small to permit of any definite conclusions. Blit I venture to hope 
that someone whose environment is more favourable to such inquiries 
may he induced to repeat the experiment on a larger scale. And I 
would venture to suggest that very much larger quantities of the 
serum should be injected, and that the injections should be continued 
over a much longer time ; also, as a further control of the method, 
that a third set of tuberculous guinea-pigs should be treated with the 
serum of goats which had not been subjected to injections of 
tuberculine. 
Alter the foregoing paper had been prepared, and its title sub- 
mitted to the lion, secretary of this section, an article reached me 
(bv Dr. Arthur Gamgee, in the Lancet of 6th October) entitled “ Dr. 
Viguenat’s Treatment of Tuberculosis,” from which it appears that Dr. 
Viguenat, of Moudon, Switzerland, has been working on very similar 
principles, but in place of goat’s serum has employed that of the ass, 
whose natural insusceptibility he has sought to enfore by subcutaneous 
and intravenous injections of virulent cultures of tubercle bacilli. Dr. 
Viguenat claims to have successfully treated cases of human tuber- 
culosis by his method. But, as Dr. Gamgee and a leader-writer in 
the Lancet point out, Dr. Viguenat has not published the experimental 
data on which he basis his claims, nor details of the cases he has 
treated, so that we must, 1 think, as yet, consider the serum treatment 
of tuberculosis as one of promise rather than of fulfilment. 
