208 BACTERIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS MADE AT LITTLE BAT, 



found out by the mode of preparation about which I supplied some 

 data in these Proceedings, April, 1887, pp. 187-190. 



I would now state the results of my experiments in cultivating 

 the typhoid -bacillus from organs of persons dead of typhoid. 



Unfortunately for my purposes, but reflecting no little credit on 

 the mode of treatment in the Hospital, the rate of mortality from 

 typhoid fever was here for the last season, in genei-al, exceptionally 

 small, although the number of cases was by no means insignificant. 

 For this reason I was only able to examine the organs of three 

 corpses. The patients had died during the third week of the com- 

 plaint ; the bacteriological examination of difierent organs — spleen, 

 liver, mesenteric glands — always took place when these were still 

 fresh. The search for typhoid bacilli yielded positive results in 

 each of the three cases, in so far as there appeared, after less time 

 than is commonly the case, (1) in or on the culture media colonies 

 or vegetations of a micro-organism which was decisively proved 

 by the potato-culture to be the Bacillus typhi abdominalis (Eberth- 

 Gaflfky). In two of the three cases there was besides this no other 

 micro-organism found ; in the third case where merely a puncture 

 of the liver was possible, in addition to the numerous colonies of 

 the typhoid-organism a few sulphur-yellow colonies of Sarcina 

 developed. Whether these were attributable to some unintended 

 contamination (the whole manipulation was done rather in a hurry) 

 or not, I was unable to trace ; in fact, it seems a matter of no 

 importance. 



I should have been glad to have had the opportunity of 

 examining more than these three typhoid cases ; but there is 

 not the least doubt that the result would have been always 

 the same in cases of true typhoid fever, ( Abdominally phus of 



(1) The temperature rose on a few days up to somewhat more than 25° C. 

 (77° F.) 



