The Pros and Cons of Vivisection

by Charles Richet

	Absolute.	Per 100,000 Inhabitants.
1872	1135	61
1873	1164	62
1874	1008	52
1875	1328	68
1876	1572	79
1877	2393	117
1878	1995	95
1879	1783	83
1880	2048	94
1881	2211	99
1882	2244	100
1883	1781	79
1884	1928	86
1885	1655	74
1886	1512	67
1887	1585	70
1888	1729	74
1889	1706	72
1890	1668	70
1891	1361	56
1892	1403	58
1893	1266	52
1894	1009	41
1895	435	17
1896	444	17
1897	298	12
1898	259	10
1899	339	13
1900	294	11
1901	736	28
1902	709	26
1903	399	15
1904	260	10
1905	204	7

Let us divide this mortality due to diphtheria into three groups (in Paris per 100,000 inhabitants):—

A. Before the discovery of serotherapy, from 1872 to 1888.

B. During the period of experimentation with serotherapy, from 1889 to 1894.

C. After the generalisation of serotherapy, from 1895 to 1905.

We have then the following averages:—

	Absolute.	Per 100,000 Inhabitants.
Before serotherapy	1657	80
Intermediary period	1402	58
After serotherapy	398	15

And should these figures not seem sufficiently eloquent, let us set them forth in another form:—

				Absolute Mortality.
Before the	discovery of	serotherapy,	1888	1729
1st	year of	serotherapy,	1889	1706
2nd	"	"	1890	1668
3rd	"	"	1891	1361
4th	"	"	1892	1463
5th	"	"	1893	1266
6th	"	"	1894	1009

At this moment the practice of serotherapy, thanks to Roux, became general in Paris.