Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1914. 
Autogenous  Vaccines. 
211 
"  I  am  well  aware  that  the  argument  has  been  advanced  that 
laboratories  are  not  sufficiently-  available  to  practitioners  in  all  sec- 
tions to  make  it  possible  for  them  to  obtain  autogenous  vaccines, 
and  would  reply  that  in  a  measure  this  may  sometimes  be  true;  but 
the  general  demand  for  stock  vaccines  has  been  artificially  stimulated 
by  manufacturers,  and  the  practical  application  of  this  method  of 
treatment  has  outdistanced  the  scientific  investigation  of  its  merits. 
Instead  of  wholesome  growth  with  the  gradual  provisions  of  local 
agencies  where  autogenous  vaccines  could  be  obtained,  an  unwhole- 
some growth  of  this  mode  of  treatment  has  been  stimulated, 
and  those  who  seek  to  keep  up  with  the  latest  pronouncement  of 
advertisement  literature  find  themselves  in  a  position  of  dependence 
upon  stock  vaccines  in  many  cases.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  in 
some  instances  stock  vaccines  are  satisfactory.  Staphylococcus 
and  typhoid  ,  and  tuberculosis  vaccine  are  instances,  but  the  other 
forms,  and  especially  streptococcus  and  pneumococcus  and  mixed 
vaccines,  are  of  very  doubtful  efficacy. 
"  Here  we  come  upon  the  field  of  variability  in  the  organisms 
themselves,  and,  unless  a  growth  has  been  prepared  from  the 
patient  himself,  the  strain  may  be  entirely  different  and  inappro- 
priate. It  avails  little  to  use  mixed  strains  which  require  the  reduc- 
tion of  dosage  of  the  one  possibly  present  and  available  strain 
below  the  point  of  usefulness  because  of  the  simultaneous  injection 
of  several  other  strains  in  the  mixture  which  are  of  no  use,  or 
practically  useless. 
"  As  for  stock  mixture  of  heterogenous  organisms  designed 
for  the  treatment  of  cases  in  which  no  sort  of  accurate  bacterio- 
logical diagnosis  has  been  made,  too  vigorous  condemnation  cannot 
be  phrased." 
In  my  own  personal  experience  I  have  met  with  many  cases 
referred  to  me  by  other  practitioners,  cases  on  whom  various 
■  stock  vaccines  had  been  tried  for  various  lengths  of  time,  in  various 
dosages,  with  absolutely  no  improvement,  and  which  have  responded 
with  surprising  promptness  to  an  autogenous  vaccine,  and  have 
established  an  immunity  that  in  many  cases  has  lasted  for  years, 
and  I  personally  have  used  in  some  cases  stock  vaccines  of  different 
types,  giving  them  a  thorough  trial,  only  to  become  discouraged  at 
their  non-success,  and  have  discarded  them  in  given  cases  for 
autogenous  vaccines  with  gratifying  results. 
On  the  other  hand,  I  believe  that  stock  vaccines  of  a  single 
