Ete Pant AS, 
military prison, Lingayen, Pangasinan, P. I. This outbreak occurred between 
October, 1900, and January, 1901. There were 141 persons attacked by beriberi, 
of which 31 died. Bacteriological examination of the blood was made in 35 
cases. The results, in general, were negative but in a few cases micrococci were 
found which were not regarded as specific in their nature. 
From the above statements it appears that the most careful attempts 
to obtain a specific organism from the blood of beriberi cases have been 
negative. It may also be mentioned that Robert Koch was unsuccessful 
in isolating any specific bacterium. 
Dangerfield * has recently published a very elaborate report of 400 pages on 
beriberi. On page 59 of his book he says: “Since 1897 I have been impressed 
with the constancy of digestive disturbances in all cases of beriberi, manifesting 
themselves in the form of anorexia, gastralgia, vomiting, nausea, dyspepsia and 
epigastric pain on pressure. We have therefore studied this question carefully 
in the living as well as in the cadaver. Later, we have intubated many patients 
with Fauche de Beouf’s stomach tube, in order to examine the gastric contents. 
In almost all of our cases we have found cocci, both by the direct microscopical 
examination and by making cultures in Jensen’s fluid, after neutralizing the 
gastric contents. Therefore, it is this method which one should preferably use 
in searching for the beriberi coccus in the living. The pathological-anatomical 
lesions of the gastro-intestinal tract are so characteristic that we have questioned 
how it could be possible for them to have escaped the attention of other observers. 
The bacterium of beriberi belongs to the family Coccacew and to the genus Micro- 
coccus. It appears in the form of a spherical, perfectly round, isolated cell. 
However, this form varies according to the stage of evolution of the bacterium.” ” 
Dangerfield states that the organism is found on the epidermis, in the soil, 
in the air, in water, in the sputum, in vomited matter, and in the faeces, as well 
as in the intestinal tract, in the stomach, and in the small intestine. Round 
cells from 0.2 to 1.5 w. Very unstable in virulence. Grow well at from 22° to 
45° C, Do not live at 0° or above 100° C. They are obligate aérobic. Grow 
rapidly at 37° C. on agar; however, during the first twenty-four hours, slowly. 
Odor is disagreeable. No evolution of gas. Stain with difficulty by Gram’s 
method. Slowly decolorize by acid alcohol. Give indol reaction in young bouillon 
cultures. Do not give the cholera-red reaction. Culture media are always alkaline 
in all stages of growth. Bouillon becomes very slightly clouded with a slight 
film around the edge of the surface. There is formed a milky, non-viscous, 
white deposit. Grows poorly in glucose bouillon. On Roux plates the cultures 
are white, shiny, creamy, and porcelain-like, with fringed margins and with a 
paler color. Gelatin is liquefied slowly. Liquefaction does not begin before the 
fourth day. On agar the coccus grows poorly at 18° to 20° ©. The eells are 
small, On Jensen’s rice the colonies are white, peculiar, porcelain-like, cream- 
like, abundant. On potato there is formed a beautiful, white, opaque, porcelain- 
like growth, visible after forty-eight hours. On carrots, the growth is very poor, 
showing degenerate cocci. On artichoke, the growth is good and gives after the 
first day a beautiful, green color. It grows well in ascitic fluid. It gives beautiful, 
white cultures on solidified blood serum, It grows in milk without coagulating it. 
The most recent claim of the discovery of a specific germ for beriberi is made 
by Okata and Kokubo, two Japanese army surgeons, who have had an excellent 
opportunity to study the extensive outbreak of beriberi occurring among the 
" Dangerfield: Le Beriberi, Paris (1905). 
* For a complete description of the bacterium the reader is referred to the 
original paper. 
