576 
EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
similar experiences; no positive evidence is afforded beyond 
the small percentage of his losses from the effects of the 
operation. If he did not inoculate all the cattle in Edinburgh 
we have merely a repetition of a portion of the evidence from 
Australia enumerated in Mr. Bruce’s report, three years ago, 
namely, that cattle, both inoculated and uninoculated herds, 
i left off dying about the same time.’ It is not stated how 
many of these 2000 cows remained for any length of time 
under his supervision, yet he declares positively that ‘ never 
in a single instance has inoculation failed to give immunity.’ 
Mr. Rutherford states that, £ given an outbreak occurring, 
immediate slaughter of the affected and inoculation of the 
others results in the outbreak always being arrested within 
a period of three weeks; the three weeks being ample 
time for the disease showing itself, should it so have happened 
that any of of these inoculated were at the time of inocula¬ 
tion affected.’ But how can this be reconciled with the 
accepted fact that the disease has a period of incubation 
which has been known to exceed three months? The 
Journal says, £ One of the great objections offered by the 
opponents of inoculation is, that because it does not produce 
pleuro-pneumonia, therefore it cannot prevent it. But they 
evidently forget that vaccination does not produce smallpox; 
and yet we know that when carefully performed it protects 
the vaccinated individual from that disease. Because inocu¬ 
lation does not give rise to the lung disorder, we cannot 
assert that it will not prevent the disorder. Years ago we 
pointed out in the clearest manner possible that inoculation 
with carefully selected virus .... produces . . . 
a peculiar specific infective process in and around the seat 
of operation, which no other virus we were acquainted with 
could occasion; and that this process, in its pathological 
characteristics, much resembled that taking place in the 
lungs of oxen affected in a natural manner. To this 
opinion we still more firmly adhere, as a result of recent 
inquiry and observation .... leaves nothing more to 
be desired in the way of evidence as to the absolute immunity 
conferred by inoculation.’ But Dr. Burdon Sanderson, in 
his report of the experiments at the Brown Institution, says, 
