APPLICATION OF METHOD IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES I IJ 



and, further, whether the tissue attacked is decom- 

 posed by blood serum. Either the micro-organisms 

 will be able to decompose the tissue their nutritive 

 medium in a manner harmonious with themselves 

 and disharmonious with the body, and so produce 

 decomposites out of harmony with the plasma, or else 

 the injured tissue will be altered in such a way as 

 to be no longer able to continue the normal processes 

 of its metabolism. A mass of observations are wait- 

 ing to be made in this direction. 



We may point out that it has been ascertained that, 

 in cases of miliary tuberculosis, defensive ferments 

 exist which are directed against tubercle bacilli. It 

 seems that the serum of cattle suffering from tuber- 

 culosis is able to decompose the bovine type only. 

 Caseated lung tissues were not decomposed by the 

 serum of animals which suffered from miliary tuber- 

 culosis, but only of those which exhibited caseous 

 pneumonia. These experiments, which were per- 

 formed with the assistance of Andryewsky, on cattle 

 and cows, are an inducement to further studies. 



We may take this opportunity of pointing out, that 

 the dialysation process for the demonstration of defen- 

 sive ferments offers the great advantage of toxi- 

 logically testing the products of decomposition. We 

 may use the dialysate, which must, of course, contain 

 the products of decomposition, either directly, or after 

 complete concentration at a low temperature and 



