THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 
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Pasteur considers that once the state of immunity has been 
reached, there is no danger attaching to the inoculation in any 
quantity of the most powerful virus. The only consequence is 
simply to consolidate the refractory state. Joseph Meister did not 
get hydrophobia, and is still alive. 
After this Pasteur treated a great number of cases, inclusive of 
some Russian peasants bitten by wolves. Of thirty-eight wolf- 
bitten Kussians only three died. The incubation period after 
wolf bites is shorter than after dogs, and the rate of mortality 
higher. 
In about fifteen months from the first case 2490 had been 
treated by Pasteur, 1726 being French, of whom ten died, about 
1 in 170, the mortality formerly being 1 in 6. It has been 
argued that a great number of persons who were in no danger 
from hydrophobia were inoculated, and that in some cases death 
resulted from the inoculation ; it being stated that the numbers 
were out of all proportion to cases of genuine hydrophobia which 
had occurred at any former time. It is possible that this may 
have been the case at first ; i.e. that some may have been 
inoculated who had not been bitten by mad dogs. But I think 
with regard to the latter accusation the care taken to ascertain 
what doses were sufficient to prevent without causing the disease 
would prevent such an occurrence ; doubtless in some fatal cases 
the treatment was begun too late. 
In 1887 386 persons were bitten in Paris and the neighbour- 
hood by dogs which were rabid. These were all treated, and 
only two died. There were forty-four others bitten who were 
not treated, and seven died, being nearly 1 in 6, against 1 in 150. 
Dr. Dujardin Beaunetz also states that the two who died after 
treatment did not follow up the treatment regularly. I think 
this is fairly conclusive as to the benefit of the treatment. 
Laboratories have been established now in various parts of the 
world — in Russia, in America, and elsewhere — in order that this 
treatment may be carried out, and for investigation into the life- 
history of the microbes of diseases generally. So far as I am 
aware there are no means by which the Pasteurian system of 
treating hydrophobia by prophylaxis can be carried out in 
England. Doubtless this is, to a great extent, due to the 
difficulties put in the way of experimenting and using animals 
by the Antivivisection Act. I do not wish to make any 
