was exceedingly instructive. The chair occupied by Lord Lister, and the discussion

lation was

opened by M. Haffkine who detailed in a clear and very able discourse his methods and results in inoculating against cholera and plague in India.

He

displayed enthusiasm combined with knowledge and modesty; and while justly pleased with the success of his labours, he was not disposed to overrate them, either as regards their finality or predominance in a scheme of preventive enterprise. He assigned to sanitation the primary place in such a scheme and arrogated for inoculations a secondary place as a means of minimising suffering and mortality in an infected locality or community, drawing a parallel between the case of the stricken town or village and the stricken individual. In both instances preventive action had failed and curative measures were the only resource. He drew a very important contrast between diseases due scientific

and facultative parasites, and the the extrasomatic or saprowhich opportunities of the latter life gave for compassing ph}rtic to

obligatory

their destruction or modifying their noxiousness. While much still remains to bo done to determine the value of these and

praise

are

inoculations, great

undoubtedly

for his arduous and useful labours which have contributed

credit

due to M. Haffkine in

India,

to throw

materially light on obscure questions, and have resulted in the saving of many lives. The report of the Plague Commission will, information

regarding

so

no

doubt, contain much inoculations and

these

authoritative pronouncement ing their value.

furnish

Dr. Haffkine

at the

Koyal

The discussion winch took

Societ}'

on

the 8th of June

011

place

^ocikty. at the

Roj'al preventive iuocu-

an

regard-