The vaccines, with the exception of the tubercle vaccine, consist of emulsions of heated cultures of the particular germ producing the infection. Luxuriant cultures of the desired organism are grown upon inclined agar; the growth is then removed with salt solution and a glass rod, and thoroughly emulsified by shaking in a test-tube, in order to get the germs well distributed and the clumps broken up. The number of germs in a given quantity of the emulsion is then determined by comparing the number of germs and red blood-corpuscles in a mixture of one part emulsion, one part freshly drawn blood, and three parts of normal salt solution. If there are ten times as many germs as blood-corpuscles, the bacterial suspension contains approximately 45,000,000 germs per cubic centimeter. The number of germs present will of course vary with the density of the emulsion. The bacterial suspension is heated at the lowest temperature and for the shortest possible time to kill it. The amount of sterilization will differ with different organisms; 60° C. or less maintained for thirty minutes or less is usually sufficient. Cultures from the vaccine are finally made to insure that it is sterile and safe and some preservative added.
Tubercle Vaccine.—This is the “New Tuberculin Koch,” an opalescent fluid, containing the active principle of tuberle bacilli obtained according to the method of Koch.