44 EIGHTEENTH REPORT. 



world and of most of the troubles resulting in surgical operations 

 on women. 



The Bacilli constitute a large group, various members of which 

 are the causative factors in Avide-spread disorders. The bacilli of 

 Diphtheria, Glanders and Influenza find their most favorable 

 habitat in the nose and throat primarily, and secondarily in the 

 nervous SA'stem ; the bacillus of Whooping-cough, in the trachea ; 

 the bacillus of Tuberculosis, most frequently in the lungs though 

 it may attack any structure of the body. The bacilli of Yellow 

 Fever and T^'phus Fever are primarilj- active in the alimentary 

 tract and in the red blood corpuscles ; the bacilli of Tj^phoid Fever, 

 in the glandular structures of the small bowel; the bacillus of 

 Bubonic IMague in the general lymphatic glands of the body; and 

 the bacilli of Leprosi and of Anthrax in the dermis and sub-cuti- 

 cular structures. Each of this group produces primary local re- 

 action of variable severity followed sooner or later, if unchecked, 

 bA' a profound systemic reaction. 



The principal spirillae consist of the relatively mild one produc- 

 tive of lielapsing Fever; the virulent one causing the acutely ex- 

 hausting Asiatic Cholera; and the one producing the persistent 

 degeneration of circulatory and nervous systems known as Syphilis. 



Besides the Schizomycetes some of the higher Fungi are in- 

 strumental in causing painful though less dangerous troubles, con- 

 sisting chiefly of indurated inflammations of the skin and mucus 

 membranes. Aphtous stomatitis, or thrush, is due to one of the 

 saccharomycetes, Oidium albicans, Kingworms of the scalp and 

 body are produced by several of the moulds, A chorion and Tri- 

 chophj^ton esjjecially. One of the Streptothrix is responsible for 

 the form of tissue necrosis known as Madura foot. 



Turning now to the consideration of pharmacophytology we may 

 note the curious and interesting fact that the most powerful of 

 medicines, the alkaloids, also represent waste products arising in 

 the course of vegetable protein kalabolism. As it is the toxin waste 

 of the lower fungi that produces serious and dangerous reactions 

 within the human body, so it is similar substances derived from 

 the sperniatophytes that are used as medicines for combating 

 some of the sym])toms arising from the activity of the lower organ- 

 isms. In each case the disturbing substance within the body is 

 a vegetable product poisonous to that body, but the substances used 

 as medicines are kept under careful control so as to exert a toxic 

 influence on the infective germ before such an effect is produced on 

 the harboring body. Or in cases where such direct action is not 



