Previous Methods of Preparing Vaccines for Bacillary Dysentery

A COMPARISON Ltween the incidence of the enteric gr~up ~f {nfections and bacillary ,dyse~tery duriug the recent war evidences in a striking manner the effects bf prophylactic vaccination against the former group of . Jiseases. The occu!rrence of enteric infections almost disappeared, and the severity of those c~ses which did occur was much diminished. . On the other hand, bacillar~ dysentery was widespread' on every front, and in the. dosing years of t~elc~mpaign constituted a serious cause o! wasta~e of man power. In certaIn! ll1stahces attempts were made to HUmUnIZe small numbers of men Hy means of . prophylactic inoculation, but very little I.' , success attended any of the measures employed. This failure to {ltoduce immunity may have beeu in part due to the fact that bacilla,ry dyseJtery is not, as a rule, associated with a general blood infectii)n, as in the1case of the enteric group of diseases,but the' chief difficulty was the i~mpossibility of inoculating sufficiently large doses. of vaccine owing to th$, severity of the reactions produced. , It is evident, thJrefore, that if any method can be devised which will diminish the toxic properties of the bacillus without affecting its antigenic 17 ' " I I I