THE USE OF MALLEIN. 44^ 



tion whether albumoses are only by-products or the active 

 fever-producing principle. He obtains these bodies not 

 by the activity of micro-organisms but by artificial gastric 

 and pancreatic digestion, and finds that the injection of 

 •3-1 gramme of deutero-albumose under the skin of a 

 healthy guinea-pig originates a fever which lasts from seven 

 to fifteen hours (18). Other experiments conducted on 

 the same lines lead this observer to the conclusion that an 

 albumose is the real phlogogenic agent in such prepara- 

 tions as tuberculin and probably mallein. It is necessary 

 to be cautious in inferring this since it is an undecided 

 question whether there is one specific substance produced 

 by all bacteria, and, further, guinea-pigs are exceedingly 

 sensitive to bacterial products which act differently or 

 may cause no effect in other animals. 



The action of various bacterial proteines and mallein 

 has been recently investigated by Schattenfroh (19). The 

 proteines were obtained from potato-cultures of Friedlander's 

 pneumobacillus, bacillus pyocyaneus, and the bacillus of 

 rhinoscleroma, by methods similar to those originally em- 

 ployed by Buchner. These were contrasted with Foth's 

 malleinum siccum, and a protei'ne obtained from cultures of 

 bacillus mallei. The experiments were conducted on healthy 

 guinea-pigs and on others which, having been inoculated 

 with bacillus mallei, were in a state of acute glanders. He 

 finds that the rise of temperature which succeeds an injection 

 of mallein occurs with all the other proteines, and also with 

 a peptone which can be artificially made from fibrin or 

 vegetable albumin. Both glandered and healthy guinea- 

 pigs react in this way, but the febrile attack, though more 

 intense in diseased animals, is not different in character. 

 The specific protei'ne of bacillus mallei is also found to act 

 precisely like the proteines of other micro-organisms, and 

 this is in accord with the researches of Buchner, who 

 contends that the proteines of both pathogenic and non- 

 pathogenic bacteria have an equal faculty for producing 

 fever. It is, therefore, sufficiently obvious that Schattenfroh 

 considers that mallein has no essential specific action on 

 glandered animals in consequence of the presence of a 



