Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-12-27
h,a not been bitten Was the mother OF
Nn;cteV

InCann
from under it covered with froth and
blood. NJ. yone had marked bruises
On his arms. but he assured me that
,bs dogs teeth had not gone through
b;s shirt. AS he had nothing to iear'
I told him he might 60 back to Alsace
The same day, and he did so. but l
kent little Meister and his mother.
The weekly meeting Of the Academy
Of Sciences took place on July ON,
when NJ. Pasteur saw DR.. vulpian ana
DR. Grancher, and took them to see
Meister. whom they thong BIT would
almost certainly have hydrophobia. Nj.
Pasteur then decided, "not without
considerable and deep anxiety" to try
unon him that with which he had had
constant success with dogs.
THE OPERATION.
NJ. Pasteur then proceeds:
Thus. on the 9th Of July, at 8 O'Clock
in the evening, sixty hours after he had
been bitten on the 4th, in the presence
of Drs. yulpian and Grancher, we IN
oculated under a crease made IN the
skin of the hypochondrium OF little
Meister a half syringe (Pravaz) OF mar
row Of a rabbit that had died of rabies
on the DIST of June, which had been
kept since that time Tor for fifteen days.
in a flask Of dry air.
New NEGOTIATIONS were made, always
in the hypochondres, under conditions
of which table is here given;
HALF SYRINGE (PRAvAz).
July 30 A. NJ, marrow of June
%, fourteen days old.
July 10 P. Nj, marrow of June
%, twelve days old.
July So A. NJ, marrow of June
q. eleven days old.
July So p. NJ, marrow Of June
%, nine days old.
July ell A. NJ, marrow OF July !,
eight days old.
July lO-ll A. NJ, marrow of July
8, seven days old.
July I'LL A. NJ, marrow OF July
s, six days old.
July l2-l1 A. NJ, marrow Of July
I, five days old.
July l3-ll A. NJ, marrow of July
9. four days old.
July l4-ll A. NJ, marrow of July
II, three days old.
Julv l5--ll A. NJ, marrow of ia y
Is, two days old.
July lG-ll A. NJ, marrow of July
Is, one day old.
| thus made the number Of inocula-
tions thirteen, and the number of days
of treatment ten. would say, further
more, that smaller number Of inocu-
lations would have been sufficient. But
it is easily conceivable that in this first
trial should have acted with partcu-
lar caution.
MAKING TIE TESTS.
We also inoculated, by trepannns,
two new rabbits with each Of the Seve-
raj marrows employed, in order to test
their states Of virulence. The OBJ
seryations on these rabbits permit me
TO assert that the marrows used on the
9Th. 7th, Sth, 9th, and 10th of July
were not virulent, for they did not
make the rabbits mad. Those Of the
18th, 18th. l4th. 18th, and 10th OF
July were all virulent in proportion as
the marrow was fresher. Rabies de-
clared itself after seven days Of incuba-
ton in the rabbits Of the 18th and 10th
of July; after eight days in those oil
the 18th and Nth, and after fifteen days
in those Of the llth Of July.
had thus in the last days inoculated
Joseph Meister with the most yirulent
virus that of the dog strengthened by
several passages from rabbits to rab-
bits. 1t was virus that gave rabies
after seven days Of incubation to these
animals; after eight or ten days to
dogs. | was justified in yenturing on
this experiment by what had taken
place with the fifty dogs Of which !
/ have spoken. When the state of i'm
munity is reached We can without In
convenience inoculate with the most
virulent virus and in any quantity; and
it has seemed to me that this had nc
other effect than further to confirm
the condition Of refractorinesS against
rabies.
i MEISTER'S ESCAPE.
Joseph Meister, then, has escaped
not only the rabies which his bites
would have developed, but also thai
with which inoculated him in order tc
confirm the immunity secured by the
treatment--a more virulent rabies than
that Of the mad dog. The final eX-
tremely virulent incubation had also
the advantage of putting tern
to the duration Of the apprehenSion'
we might entertain as to the conse
ouences Of the bites. If rabies was &
break out it would declare itself more
speedily with more yirulent virus thar
that of the bites. From the middle Of
August regarded the future Of the
health of Joseph Meister with conf
dence, and now, after three months an,
three weeks have passed since the acct
dent, his health leaves nothing to be de
sired.
INTERPRETATIONS OF THE METHOD
Recurring to the methods OF pro
gressiye attenuation Of mortal ylruseS
and the prophylaxy that may be de
duced from it, and the influence OF th'
air in the attenuation being given oil
the other side, the first thought tha
occurs in trying to account for the effects
is that the continued presence of rabies
infected marrows in contact with dry
air progressively diminishes the inten
sity Of their virulence till it is renderel
nil. We are, therefore, led to be
lieve that the prophylactic method un
der consideration rests upon the EN-
ployment at first Of virus without ap
preciable activity; then Of weak yiruse:
and then of those Of greater and greater
yirulence. | shall show, further on
that the facts are in disaccord with Thu
view. shall prove that the increase
in the length Of the periods of incuba
ton of the rabies, communicated dal
after day to rabbits, as have just SAID
TO test the condition of virnlence OF on
marrows, dried in contact with the air