To the Editor.—After World War II, rabies spread significantly, especially among wild animals, in central Europe. Britain, which had been rabies-free for many decades or centuries, recently has reported the disease in imported dogs (Brit Med J4:185, 1969;1:584, 1970;2:742, 1970). Protective rabies immunization continues to hold an important position. For man, vaccines produced from brain tissues are often used, but with a comparatively greater risk of cerebral complications, varying in frequency from 0.005% to 0.6%. With the specific objective of exploring subclinical cerebral injuries in addition to those recognizable, Timm and Wolter (Deutsch Med Wschr95:2108, 1970;95:2135, 1970) analyzed 125 electroencephalograms from 50 individuals of various age groups (Table) before and during protective rabies immunization, in which Hempt vaccine was used, a vaccine prepared from brain and spinal cord of rabbits infected withvirus fixe, inactivated by ether and phenol.
