Comment on the Short-Distance Behavior of the Axial-Vector Current

Using the Callan-Symanzik equations as a tool to study the short-distance behavior of the gauge-invariant axial-vector current in quantum electrodynamics, we conclude that as a consequence of Ward identities the axial-vector current is required to scale noncanonically. The Wilson-Crewther calculation of the anomaly cannot be carried out, although its use is legitimate in phenomenological applications treating electromagnetism to lowest order.