Dry-rot; Venoms; Viruses 847 



globin and the amylaceous corpuscles of the green cells fix the 

 chlorophyll. 



B. Glanders. 



Experiment CCCCXCI. July 15. Pus of glanders sent from Alfort 

 by Professor Trasbot. 



Equal quantities are placed in two small bottles, to a depth of 

 about 1 centimeter. 



A, at normal pressure. 



B, taken to 20 superoxygenated atmospheres. 

 July 21. Decompressed. 



A is decayed. 



B has no odor. 



The same day, these two puses are inoculated in two horses. 



A, has only local symptoms, evidently due to the putrid inocu- 

 lation, loosening of the skin and abscess; gets well. 



B, dies of the glanders, after showing, M. Trasbot writes me, "as 

 complete an eruption as possible." 



Our conclusions for the virus of glanders and the corpuscles 

 which it contains, upon the virulent role of which M. Chauveau 

 has dwelt, will be identical therefore to those which we drew from 

 the experiments on the vaccine-virus. Here too it is not a matter 

 of microscopic organisms acting like true ferments. 



C. Anthrax. 



The researches of M. Davaine have called attention to the part 

 which may be played in the infection of the virus of anthrax by 

 microscopic organisms, the "bacteridies," which he found exist and 

 are constantly present in virulent liquids. Experiments made by 

 dilutions, nitrations, and precipitations have led this learned phy- 

 sician to declare that these "bacteridies" were really the agents 

 of the virulence, and that, when introduced into the blood of a 

 healthy animal, they bring on death by their prodigiously rapid 

 development. So that anthrax would definitely be a true parasitic 

 disease. 



But all these methods are open to one objection. These micro- 

 scopic organisms, whose nature is not yet clearly understood, may 

 be only the vehicle, not the original cause of the virulent agent 

 with which they might be merely laden. 



I therefore had to begin experiments following the new method, 

 but taking the greatest precautions: 1). that the layer of blood be 

 thin enough to be penetrated by the oxygen; 2). that there should 

 not remain within the limits of the blood any isolated spots which 

 would dry out and then resist perfectly the action of the oxygen. 



