546 EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCHES WITH CHICKEN-CHOLERA MICROBES, 



(e) September 4th, 2.50 p.m. 



A young rabbit was placed in a hutch in which a rabbit, fed the day 

 before upon cabbage-leaves with 2^ ccm. of virulent broth -culture, was 

 found dead (from '^' chicken-cholera ") at 2,40 p.m., September 4th. 

 Amount and appearance of evacuations and food in the hutch, as 

 before. 



Result : 



The rabbit was found dead at 9.15 a.m., September 9th, P.M., 

 Negative. 



Some direct experiments were made with faecal matter, or con- 

 tents of the caecum (the first and most voluminous portion of the 

 large intestines) from rabbits which succumbed to typical "chicken- 

 cholera" consequent on feeding. They showed that such material 

 (in rectum and in caecum) contained enough active bacteria to 

 cause rabbits to perish from undoubted "chicken-cholera" when 

 they were inoculated with small portions of that material. On 

 the other hand, feeding on considerably larger quantities along with 

 green stuff proved altogether inefficacious. The experiments may 

 be described as follows : — 



1888. 

 <1) Contents of lowest portion of rectum of a rabbit which, having died 

 from " chicken-cholera " (feeding on virulent m.aterial) in one of the 

 burrows (mentioned), was not removed therefrom after about four 

 days. As an exception, the rectum contained very soft coherent green 

 faeces. These were derived for examination by means of a sterilised, 

 blunt glass-tube carefully introduced into the anus. 



{a) Inoculation. 



September 2nd, 11.35 a.m. 



A rabbit was inoculated, subcutaneously at the belly, with a medium- 

 sized platinum-loop fall of such material. It was observed to die 

 at 10.50 a.m., September 3rd, i.e., 23| hours afterwards. The 

 symptoms of the animal when dying, and the subsequent autopsy, 

 together with microscopical examination of the blood, clearly proved 

 the diagnosis — "chicken-cholera." 



(b) Feeding. 



September 3rd, 8.15 p.m. 

 A half-grown rabbit which had not been fed since 9 a.m. of the 

 same day, was given a few cabbage-leaves smeared over with nearly 



